Never the Same Again
by brown phantom
Summary: Kagome becomes the victim of one of Naraku's cruel plans and becomes devastated and cursed to change. Afterwards, life changes for her too, some parts good and others bad. Rated for adult situations, brief language, and later lemons.
1. Assaulted

_Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does. If I did own Inuyasha, I wouldn't be writing fanfic for it, and the anime would have ended much better, more like the manga. Hope this satisfies someone's need for a disclaimer, because I'm only doing this once._

NEVER THE SAME AGAIN

_AN: This is an anime continuation fic. It begins about one month after the events of the fourth movie, which I assume takes place after the last episode of the series. Let's say that makes the date March of 1498/1998, since the manga says Kagome turned 15 in '97._

_I will be using the Japanese school calendar in this too, which begins in April and ends in March with July and August off for summer. Since the story said Kagome started her freshman year on her birthday, (or would have if she hadn't fallen down the well) I assume her birthday is in early April. So she's not 16 yet but will be soon._

_On a personal note, I want to say that I've never knowingly interacted with someone who shares Kagome's experience in this fic, so I cannot say for sure that she will be acting in all the right ways. If she doesn't, then I'm sorry, but other fics show even worse behavior in my mind._

Chapter 1:Assaulted

Hakkaku and Ginta were once again running to try and catch up to their leader Kouga. For all their energy and determination, it was a futile effort as always. The prince of the eastern wolf youkai tribe had earlier caught the sight and scent of Naraku and ran off in a haste to fight him, leaving behind his two cohorts as he usually did. That was earlier this morning, and they still hadn't found him yet. While they understood and agreed with their leader's need to defeat Naraku, and his impulsive urge to do it soon, they still wished he could slow down once in a while for their sakes. After all, they didn't have shikon jewel shards in their legs to make them faster, and constantly trying to keep up with him was hectic and potentially unhealthy.

After several hours of running with occasional breaks, the pair of wolf youkai had to stop and catch their breath again. Even the wolves with them had to do the same before they went much further. Sure, they had more stamina then humans did, but Kouga's constant traveling and endless energy usually ran them ragged daily. Luckily they had at least managed to track his scent to a forest, which was unusually foggy at the moment. Obviously their leader was in there. They weren't worried; Kouga could take care of himself. But they didn't like being left behind, so they were going to find him.

Once they could breathe normally, the youkai duo and wolves cautiously walked into the misty woods. Ginta, the striped-haired wolf youkai, inhaled deeply, then stopped in his tracks, noticing something seriously wrong. "I... I can't smell Kouga-kun! Or _anything_ anymore!"

Hakkaku, the mohawked wolf youkai, inhaled in response and looked confused. "You're right. It's... like nothing within this forest has a scent." The wolves moaned in desperation, upset their noses weren't working for some reason. "How do we find Kouga-kun now?"

Ginta put a finger on his chin and thought for a moment. "We should split up and look for him that way. If nothing else, we can at least still see and hear for him." Hakkaku agreed to the plan and went to check the north side, while the wolves went east and Ginta went south. They didn't bother to check the west side of the woods since that was the side they entered from.

Ginta walked casually through the thicket, mostly for the sake of his legs. All that time traveling taught him to never waste a chance to take things easy. Also, by moving slowly he'd have better luck hearing something important. In no time at all, he _did _hear something from far off. It was a voice, but it was too feminine to be Kouga's. Whoever it was, the sounds they were making, or at least the ones Ginta could hear, implied they weren't happy. Instead, they sounded... upset, frightened, and hurt. No words could be distinguished from where Ginta was, but the frantic, pleading tone of voice was enough of an SOS.

Ginta rushed over in the direction of the sound. As he moved, the fog began to thin out a little and he could finally begin to notice some scents. Soon, the striped wolf youkai made it within sight of a clearing, and saw Kouga inside it. But Kouga wasn't alone, and it was extremely obvious as to what was going on. While Ginta at first wanted to be wrong about what he thought, he knew better and couldn't pretend otherwise in good conscience.

Suddenly angry and disgusted, Ginta pounced at Kouga. Caught completely by surprise, the alpha wolf youkai was hurled across the clearing. Before he could react, Ginta swiftly poked and prodded Kouga's body in numerous places, using shiatsu to immobilize him. At this time, the only other person in the clearing chose to flee in a blur of black, white, and green. Ginta tried using what was left of his energy to catch up to them, but when they looked back, they screamed and ran faster.

"STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY! DON'T COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME!"

Choosing to obey them, Ginta stopped and panted heavily. He watched the hysterical person continue to run from him and disappear from his sight into the mist. Even though he personally hadn't done anything wrong to them, he took no offense at their words. They reeked of fear and this day had surely traumatized them. So he just stood there, leaning against a tree, not knowing what to do. He knew he had to keep an eye on them, for both their safety's sake. Kouga wouldn't be down for long, and as soon as he could, he'd try to kill Ginta and recapture the escapee.

Before Ginta could go anywhere, he turned around and saw a very furious Kouga. He looked like he could barely stand, but his jewel shards gave him that ability quickly. He looked almost rabid. "What... the hell... were you... doing?" For once, Kouga was out of breath.

Ginta put up a tough front. "I _know_ what you were doing. What were you thinking?"

Kouga glared even more if that was possible. Then, without bothering to say another word, he pounced at Ginta. Even though the striped wolf was expecting and prepared for this, he couldn't act quickly enough and got pummeled senseless. Kouga even thrust a finger into his left eye, destroying it. As Ginta cried in agony, Kouga prepared for the finishing blow, but a beam of light came out of nowhere and struck him by his right shoulder. It threw him against a tree, and it was revealed to be an arrow, actually pinning him to the tree. He tried to pull it out, but ended up falling asleep, as if under a spell.

Ginta, with a hand over his severely bleeding eye, turned to see Kouga pinned like a bug in a display case. "What? How? Who...?" was all he could bring himself to say.

As if to answer his questions, a miko sporting a longbow and a solemn expression came into view from where the arrow did. She walked up to the subdued Kouga, and removed his shikon shards. Kouga didn't move once, not that anyone expected him to. Ginta wondered who she was and why she was doing all this.

"He has no right to these anymore." The miko stated to herself before looking forlorn in the direction of the escapee then the injured wolf youkai.

"Who... are you?" Ginta cautiously asked, afraid she'd do something to him.

"Why did you defend her?" The miko asked back, ignoring his question.

Ginta coughed up some phlegm. "Because, she needed it. Why did you?"

"I have my reasons." She answered bluntly, then waved her hand in the air above her head. Some youkai that resembled snakes or eels that swam through the air came and picked up Ginta. "I shall help you heal. Please come with me."

Ginta was too tired to even think of refusing.

--

Kagome felt awful to the point of being sick. In fact, she had already thrown up while running. She had found a river that wasn't that deep and dove right in, staying in the shallow part. She didn't even take off her torn and filthy uniform; she just dove in. There was no soap or shampoo, but she acted like she desperately needed a bath. She felt horribly, horribly dirty, and it wasn't because of the dirt, leaves, and sweat that not too long ago had clung to her body. She sat in the water, scooping it up and pouring it over her, and scrubbing herself raw with her bare hands in a frenzy.

Then she stood up, and just stood there knee-deep in the water, staring down at her reflection, holding her torn shirt closed. She was shivering, but not from the coldness of the water. Her skin still tingled in an unpleasant way, and it felt like her bones and muscles were too, like there were needles digging into her body. She was crying heavily now, but since her entire body was soaked no one would notice. Not that there was anyone else there to notice. Kagome was completely alone, a fact that both comforted and frightened her. She was safe from enemies, but apart from her friends, and right now she needed to see a friendly face more than ever. And there was one particular face she especially wanted to see.

'I need to get home or to Inuyasha. Right now!'

She got out of the water but didn't bother to dry off, mostly because she couldn't. Even though she had scrubbed herself to the point where her skin was raw, cut, and bruised, although it partly was that way before, Kagome still felt... horrible. That was the only fitting word. She clutched herself at the shoulders, closed her eyes, and fell to her knees as unpleasant images came to her.

"Inuyasha... I'm so sorry. You... you were right all along." She quietly said to herself as she kept crying and sniffling a few times.

It seemed that someone heard her private statement, for there was suddenly a rustle in some nearby bushes. Kagome panicked and started scuttling back towards the river like it was a fortress. She had unfortunately lost her bow and quiver earlier, so unless the thing in the bushes hated water, she was at the mercy of whoever showed up. Luckily, the thing in the bushes had a face Kagome knew and trusted.

"Kirara? Kirara! Thank heaven it's you!" Kagome shouted as she rushed to hug the nekomata, currently in her kitten form. As she embraced Kirara, she felt something bite her cheek. She slapped it, and confirmed it was Myouga as she guessed. "What do you think you're doing, Myouga-ji-chan?" She asked, sounding colder than she meant to.

As soon as the old flea youkai recovered, he looked at Kagome with concern from her palm. "Kagome-sama, have you been exposed to anything new recently? _Anything_ that you've never experienced before?"

Kagome's eyes widened as a memory flashed in her mind. She cried out as she closed her eyes and put her hands on her temples, attempting to block out the image.

Myouga fell out of her hands and landed on Kirara's forehead. "What's wrong, Kagome-sama?"

It took time for her to answer. "Y... yes, Myouga-ji-chan. I... something _did_ happen to me earlier."

"That's what I feared. Your blood tastes different, so something has begun and I think I know what. We must get you somewhere safe now."

"I need to get to the well." Kagome almost shouted.

"No, Kagome-sama. More is going on here with you than you know and you need to be here to hear it all. I know a close place where you can be safe and Inuyasha-sama can keep an eye on you." Myouga stated, waving his arms to keep her attention. "He'll need to hear this too."

Kagome wanted to get to her modern day home, where she would be safe. But she also wanted to get to Inuyasha, where she would feel safer. She then considered what Myouga had said. The flea may be a coward, but he always meant well and knew what he was talking about. If there was something she and Inuyasha had to hear now, then she would cooperate with him.

"Okay, Myouga-ji-chan, I'll do what you want, but get me to Inuyasha first."

Kirara changed into her larger, saber-toothed form, and Kagome got onto her back, hoping her ride and companion wouldn't mind the fact that she was very wet. If Kirara did, she didn't complain. As soon as Kagome was seated, Kirara took to the air.

--

Inuyasha was rushing through the forest, furiously hopping from tree to tree, looking for his missing companions. The last thing he remembered was the group walking through the forest as it suddenly got foggier. Then he noticed that somehow the others in the group had disappeared from his sight. He couldn't even smell them anymore. Unfortunately, he couldn't go look for them right away because a swarm of demons came from all directions to attack him. He just now was done with the battle and was seeking out his friends, especially Kagome.

'Dammit! Where the hell are they? This is one of Naraku's plans. I just know it.' He angrily thought to himself.

The unnatural mists in the forests were finally disappearing and Inuyasha could finally smell everything again, although still not entirely clearly. He did notice a familiar scent off to his right so he turned that direction. Very soon, he saw a figure breathing heavily while standing beside the dead bodies of minor youkai. He didn't need to sniff them to know who it was.

"Miroku!" The hanyou shouted to catch the attention of the houshi.

"Inuyasha! Glad to see you're well. Have you seen the others?"

"No, I haven't. You mean you don't know where they are either?"

"It seems we all unintentionally split up in that fog. I felt Naraku's presence earlier so I'm guessing this is another of his plots. But this does seem much too simple for him. Why split us up and have us fight novice youkai?" Miroku speculated.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked downward with closed eyes. He agreed with Miroku; this _did _seem too petty to be one of Naraku's schemes now. 'This can only mean that there's more going on here.' He thought, then something in his mind clicked. "Miroku, what if Naraku was trying to... get one of us alone, and sent these small fry youkai to keep the rest of us busy?"

Miroku gasped. "Then Sango-chan or Kagome-sama, or both, are possibly still in danger." He highly doubted that Shippou would be the target.

"You check one way, I'll check another. Let's reunite outside this forest by sundown at the latest unless something comes up." It was only a little after noon so that was presumably more than enough time. Miroku agreed, and the two men rushed off to find the women in their group.

--

Sango had been looking for her friends, but found Hakkaku instead. She didn't want to be rude, but she had just fought off a swarm without having time to get her battle outfit on, was worried about the others, and was in no mood for small talk. "What are you doing here?" She asked as politely as she could.

"I'm looking for Kouga-kun." Hakkaku cautiously answered. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"What I do best: slay youkai. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my friends." Sango didn't bother waiting for a response before she started to leave. But before she was gone, she stopped and turned to look at Hakkaku. "Wait. Why would Kouga-kun be here?"

The mohawked wolf youkai felt it was none of the taijiya's business, so he refused to answer and resumed his search. Annoyed, Sango went and continued her own as well.

--

After flying for some time, Kirara finally found Inuyasha moving through the trees. He was going slower than his usual pace since he was trying to locate anything familiar. Luckily he was heading their direction so Kirara stopped in front of him on the ground. Kagome meanwhile chose to get off her ride and get to her hanyou protector right away.

"INUYASHA!"

The cry definitely caught the attention of the inu-hanyou. He could plainly see she was extremely wet and unhappy, but from what he couldn't guess. He jumped onto the ground, and Kagome ran right into him, nearly knocking him off his feet. She was crying like she couldn't run out of tears and clutched his haori like her life depended on it. If she was trying to say anything through her sobs, it was too muffled to be understood. Unclear on what was going on, Inuyasha simply wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug.

When he rested his chin on her scalp, Inuyasha was able to notice Kagome's scent better. It was overpowered by water, but her personal scent was filled with fear and blood from many small cuts. The scent of salt was also evident due to all her tears. But there was another aroma, an unidentifiable one that made Inuyasha nervous for her.

Kagome pulled her face away from Inuyasha's chest without ever leaving his arms. She spoke to him but didn't give any eye contact, looking like she was embarrassed to. "Inuyasha... please... don't leave me."

"What happened to you Kagome?"

Kagome looked like she was trying to contain a scream. But before she could make a sound, Myouga jumped onto Inuyasha's nose. Oddly, this time he didn't take a drink. "Inuyasha-sama, we need to get Kagome-sama to a safe place urgently."

Without any questions, Inuyasha then picked up Kagome bridal style. She didn't resist, but clang to him even more. "Then... let's get to the well." Inuyasha didn't sound enthusiastic about it because the well was a long ways away even with his speed. There was no way they'd make it there by a decent time.

"No my lord. It's better that she remain here in this time for now. I'll explain later, but trust me on this. If she's here, it'll be easier to treat her. Masao-sama's residence is close enough so I recommend there."

Inuyasha growled lightly to himself, as if mentally protesting the idea. But he relented and moved Kagome onto his back and ran off towards the west. Kirara took to the air and resumed looking for the others.

--

After wandering around aimlessly in the forest for an unknown amount of time, Miroku finally managed to locate Sango and Shippou, but not Kirara or Kagome. Their stories were identical to his own, except Shippou ran from his attackers until Sango found and defended him. They asked where Kagome and Inuyasha were, and Miroku only told what he already knew. The three of them continued searching, but weren't going to separate this time.

After some more time wandering, probably an hour or two, they happened to come across Kouga's pinned body. They all gasped when they saw it.

"What... could have happened here?" Miroku asked no one in particular.

Sango got a closer look. "It looks like a sacred arrow is binding him here."

"You mean like how Inuyasha was trapped." Shippou asked. They were all well informed on the story of Inuyasha being snared to the Goshinboku by Kikyou decades ago.

"It appears so. But why would Kikyou do this?" Sango replied.

"Maybe it was Kagome-chan instead. It smells like she was here." Shippou commented. However, as soon as he said it, he didn't believe it. It was just too hard to picture Kagome doing something like that.

"But why would she do this?" Miroku asked, disbelieving the idea for the same reason Shippou did.

"I don't know. We should find her and find out what happened." Sango suggested.

They left in a hurry, and about ten minutes later found Kirara who was resting. Sango was glad to see her companion, still in her larger form, safe and hugged her. "Kirara, have you seen Kagome-chan or Inuyasha?" The nekomata nodded. "Do you know where they are now?" She made a whine that clearly meant 'no'. Disappointed, the small group decided to rest with Kirara for a while, exhausted from all the searching.

--

The journey to wherever Inuyasha was going was filled with an awkward semi-silence. Occasionally one of them would try to say something, but stopped after maybe one complete word at most. Both just seemed at a loss for words right now. Kagome almost slept on the trip, but couldn't because Myouga wouldn't let her and if she tried nightmarish images came to her even more.

Sometime after mid-afternoon, Inuyasha stopped running. Kagome saw they were in front of a moderately sized building. It almost looked like a Shinto shrine, but wasn't decorated like one. It also appeared to be in good shape, as if it was well tended to despite it's seclusion.

"Inuyasha, why are we here?" Kagome curiously asked as she stepped down off his back.

"Myouga-jiji suggested we stay here tonight. Don't worry about intruding; this used to be my house." Inuyasha answered.

Kagomestill partially wanted to get to the well, but didn't say anything about it. She knew there had to be a reason for her to be here, so she wouldn't argue. "Your house?"

"Yeah. Long ago when I was a whelp. When Haha-ue got worried I'd be killed by other people and youkai, she took me here and raised me. It belongs to a friend of Oyaji who was willing to help and welcomes me back all the time. Of course I rarely come back anymore, but I'm sure the offer still stands. Let's find out."

Inuyasha knocked and in a few moments the shoji opened. The pair was greeted by a creature Kagome had never seen before. It was some type of bird youkai about half her size. It resembled a brown eagle or hawk and stood like a person. It wore armor and had two muscular arms along with a single wing coming out of his, or possibly her, left shoulder. It looked like it had lost the second wing in a battle long ago.

'Wow. I think it's a tengu.' Kagome thought to herself.

"Why hello Inuyasha-sama. How nice to see you again." The tengu said. It's voice confirmed it was a male.

"Thanks Masao. My friend and I need lodging for tonight." Inuyasha replied.

"Oh, of course. Come on in. You can stay as long as you need to. This is your house too you know." The tengu responded, then moved to let Inuyasha and Kagome enter.

Once inside, Kagome could simply gasp in awe. It wasn't fancy by feudal or futuristic standards, but was well decorated. Paintings of many different scenes, the kind she had only seen in history books and museums, covered the walls along with several weapons. The whole place was designed to house a samurai, and it was easy for Kagome to imagine a young Inuyasha standing here, looking up and dreaming of becoming a warrior himself one day.

Inuyasha got Myouga into his hand. "Okay flea, we're here. So what's the big problem that can only be fixed here?" He asked rather bluntly as everyone just stood around in the main room. He saw Kagome look like she was trying to hide behind him. "What's wrong now Kagome?"

"I... I need a change of clothes." She shyly and sadly answered.

Masao heard this and went into another room. Inuyasha was about to say she didn't need to change her outfit, but saw it was torn and still damp from her river bath. She was also clutching her shirt closed since it was torn down the front. Masao returned holding a red yukata and handed it out to Kagome.

"Here you go miss. It's made from fire rat fur like Inuyasha-sama's outfit, but designed to be more feminine. Inutaisho-dono, Inuyasha-sama's father, had me make this for his son's future mate."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha blushed at what the tengu implied. "Thanks Masao, but... sadly Kagome isn't my mate. We... aren't even courting yet, if ever." Inuyasha clarified, sounding almost disappointed. Kagome gave him a surprised look at the sad tone of his voice.

"Well, she can still have it for now. Who knows, she might later be the one it was meant for." Masao said with a shrug. He then opened a door to another room and let her enter so she could change.

Kagome went inside and closed the door. When she was positive no one could see her, she slowly removed her tattered school uniform and cringed as the action reminded her of why it was tattered in the first place. She didn't bother to carefully place it aside in a pile, she just threw it away from her, not caring where it landed. She never intended to wear it again. Soon she was just in her underwear, or what was left of it. Her bra was torn in two and her panties were long gone. Luckily Masao had included an underkimono and Kagome wasted no time in putting on her new outfit.

When she was done, she just stood there in front of a mirror to see how she looked in these clothes. It was the same red as Inuyasha's clothes, but looked more like Sango's casual kimono shapewise. It included a pair of formfitting hakama under the loose knee length skirt part so she could move her legs more freely without fear of revealing anything inappropriate. Most men would call her beautiful in it and she knew it, but she didn't want them to, unless they were Inuyasha.

Kagome sniffled as her thoughts turned to the hanyou in the other room. She had every intention of telling Inuyasha what had happened to her. She knew he would not be happy about it and would surely do something about it. Even if he didn't love her like she wanted him to, there was no way he could let her go unavenged.

Kagome sadly sighed. She knew she was in love with Inuyasha and wanted to be with him all the time. Even though she wasn't ready for marriage or children, she did know she wanted to spend the rest of her life with Inuyasha. A life without him just seemed hollow to her. She wanted desperately to believe that he loved her back, and was more than a little sure he did, but Kikyou always made her feel insignificant.

Still, there were times when Kagome could feel she was the more important one in Inuyasha's heart. Like just before when he denied she was his mate. He truly sounded disappointed to her, like he wanted them to be together that way but felt such a thing was impossible. Kagome decided that next chance she got, she would talk to him about their relationship. She wanted some real answers.

--

Inuyasha sat cross legged on a tatami mat with Tetsusaiga resting in his arms like he usually did. He kept silent with a solemn downward expression, thinking about Kagome. Everything he saw, heard, and smelled told him she had just been through something terrible. He already had an idea of what it was, from the bruises he saw on her arms and the scent of blood on her legs, but prayed he was wrong. He hated thinking it as much as he hated seeing her cry. It made him feel like he was a failure at being her self-appointed protector.

Over the year they had been together, Kagome's well being came to be Inuyasha's top priority. Even higher than gaining jewel shards, despite how he acted. Anything bad that happened to her hurt him worse than his own actual injuries. Of course this all had confused Inuyasha over the year. He wondered what exactly made her so special. Even Kikyou had never been this important to him.

More than two months ago, Inuyasha began to wonder if he actually had fallen in love with the miko from the future. This confused him since he wasn't entirely sure what love was. He had always been told he never deserved love, so he never bothered to try to understand it. What was the point if no one would want anything to do with you?

He had thought he felt love for Kikyou once, but had learned he was wrong. Sure, he did care for her 51 years ago, but it wasn't love. If anything he felt for Kikyou what he felt for Sango, and he knew that Sango was just a friend. Kikyou was the first person to show him tolerance in a long time, and he was so desperate for acceptance that he went along with her plans to keep it.

His feelings for Kagome, however, were on a completely different level. They went beyond companionship and a desire to protect her. Inuyasha thought about a union between them quite often nowadays, even without prompting. Back with Kikyou, he never thought about it until after she mentioned him being human so they could live normally, and even then the idea wasn't as appealing as with Kagome. He was greatly confused why.

But Inuyasha tried not to think about it too much. Even if he was in love with Kagome and found the idea of being her mate enticing, he felt it was just a pipe dream. Kagome could have any man she wanted, and Inuyasha felt it was unlikely she would settle for him when he was a hanyou and had nothing to offer that others couldn't as well with more.

Kagome came out of the room, dressed in her new fire rat outfit. Like she predicted, Inuyasha thought she was beautiful in it. She still looked miserable, almost ashamed of herself even. Inuyasha scooted over on his mat and indicated there was enough room for her if she was interested. She apparently was, for she immediately sat down but not in her usual manner. Her legs were wrapped by her arms tightly to her chest while her chin rested on her knees. She leaned onto Inuyasha's side and relaxed a tiny bit when he put an arm around her.

"Myouga-jiji," Inuyasha said while glaring at the flea sitting across the unlit hearth. "Tell us what the big disaster is. I'm sick of waiting."

Myouga sighed then looked at Kagome. "Kagome-sama, what I have to say might make more sense after you explain what happened to you when everyone was separated."

Kagome gulped but didn't talk right away. She looked to see that only Inuyasha and Myouga were with her now. Masao was in another room to give them all privacy. Turning her attention back to the floor, she began to explain what had occurred.

"After... everyone was out of sight, I kept walking, trying to find everyone. What I found was... one of Naraku's baboon-cloaked puppets."

"What did that bastard do to you?" Inuyasha angrily asked, holding her closer reflexively.

"I tried to get my bow ready, but he rushed over to me and punched me real hard in the stomach. So of course I fell to my knees hurt and gasping for air. While I was going that, I felt... as if Naraku had thrown some dirt on me. I checked, but I saw my body glow a faint purple for a moment. Then he punched me again in the jaw, and I fell down on my back."

Kagome shed another tear and closed her eyes. "He vanished, and... that's when things got bad."

Inuyasha blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"After he left, someone else... showed up. Someone I... didn't want to see, and _never _want to see again! He... he saw me, and... then he... he..." Kagome had to stop because her sobs began to overwhelm her words. She clung to Inuyasha and buried the side of her face on his chest. "HE RAPED ME!" She suddenly shouted, and Inuyasha nearly facefaulted. "He raped me! And he claimed I wanted him to! I... kept telling him 'no', that I didn't love him, but he wouldn't listen. I'm just glad I at least got away before he finished and 'marked' me like he said he would."

"Who was it?" Inuyasha asked, barely hiding his rage.

"Ko... Ko..." Kagome shamefully struggled to answer, finding it difficult to form the word now. Luckily she didn't have to.

"Kouga?" Inuyasha asked, his voice filled with surprise, disgust, and mostly anger.

Kagome nodded with more tears streaming down her face.

Inuyasha was now clenching his fists and snarling, looking like he was out for blood. He wanted to go out, find his wolf adversary, and gut him into more pieces than the shattered shikon no tama. But Kagome's whimpering made him choose to remain right with her. He wrapped both arms around her and lifted her onto his lap. She didn't resist in any way; in fact, she would have done it herself.

Myouga cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Now I should explain what I have to say. Kagome-sama, if you recall, earlier I said your blood tasted different. That is because Naraku apparently used a rare, cursed dust called the yousei powder on you. How he got it, I don't know except maybe from the creator himself. Anyway, if used on a living being, it seeps into the body and starts it's effect. Once the victim falls asleep, they... change into the type of creature they had the most contact with before. And since the powder only works once, the change is presumably irreversible. Naraku must have wanted you to be turned into a wolf youkai for some reason."

Kagome suddenly looked very panicked. "Can it be prevented? I don't want to be a wolf!"

"Well... yes and no." Myouga answered. "The yousei powder is already in your blood and you will wake up tomorrow no longer human, whether you like it or not. However, you don't necessarily have to wake up a wolf. The powder turns you into what you _most_ had contact with, not what you _first _had contact with." The flea youkai explained as his eyes darted back and forth between Kagome and Inuyasha. This did not go unnoticed by them.

"You don't mean...?" Inuyasha tried to say.

"Yes my lord. Left alone, Kagome-sama will most likely become a wolf youkai. But, if she stays in your company for the rest of the night, your aura should be strong enough to prevent that. Thus, she will wake up as an inu-hanyou instead. Of course, that change will be more likely if you two are in constant physical contact all night and Kagome-sama desires it more than the change to wolf." Myouga answered.

Inuyasha was about to object, not wanting to force such a change onto Kagome without her consent. But she spoke before he could. "Would I... be strong and have dog ears and claws?" She sounded curious but unhopeful, as if expecting to be told 'no'.

"Yes, Kagome-sama. To the best of my knowledge, you'll have all the physical traits of Inuyasha-sama. His attacks, his time of weakness, his longevity, and a need for a seal as well." Myouga answered.

"Then that's what I want." Kagome said, much more eagerly this time yet still sorrowful. "I want to be like Inuyasha." She hugged him a little tighter as she said this without realizing it.

Inuyasha himself was speechless. Kagome was willing to match him? Kikyou had always insisted that he match her, never the other way around. Plus he was a hanyou, one of the most disliked creatures in existence, and yet she was okay with herself being one. He was incredibly shocked, and touched, by her words.

--

Hakkaku heard the sad howl of wolves in the distance, and headed their direction. When he later got there, he saw them standing around Kouga. Hakkaku gasped and tried to remove the arrow, but a barrier prevented him from grasping it. Minor burn marks appeared on his palm.

"Who did this, and why?" Hakkaku asked, knowing no one would answer. He then smelled Ginta's blood coming off of one of Kouga's hands and on the ground too. This added to the confusion. The wolves moaned in sadness and Hakkaku sat down to think for a moment.

Later on, still with no ideas about what had transpired, the mohawked wolf youkai gathered up the wolves and started to leave. They had no idea where to go, but knew they'd never get any answers just sitting there.

--

It was night and the rest of Inuyasha's group was outside the once foggy forest. They hadn't seen either Inuyasha or Kagome yet, even though sunset had already passed. They circled the forest twice but were too tired to search anymore, so they made camp.

"Just what is going on?" Sango irritably asked.

"Inuyasha believes that Naraku was trying to separate us all so he could victimize one of us while the others were distracted." Miroku mused.

"Well, nothing bad happened to me that I couldn't handle." Sango replied.

"Same here." Shippou added.

"Likewise." Miroku agreed. Then his eyes widened in realization. "It must have been Kagome-sama that Naraku was targeting."

"Kagome-chan?" Both Sango and Shippou shouted in shock.

"Do you think she's okay?" Shippou asked, worried.

Miroku sighed. "I don't know. The best we can hope for is that Inuyasha has gotten to her already and is watching over her. There's sadly little we ourselves can do now." He started to yawn, all that time on the move during the day was catching up to him.

Even though Sango and Shippou wanted to keep searching for Kagome, they were getting sleepy too. Even if they weren't, Kirara was already dozing off and they couldn't go very far without her. So, unable to do much else, the group let sleep overcome them.

--

Inuyasha and Kagome were still at Masao's house that night, but weren't asleep yet. Mostly because Kagome was too afraid to go to sleep. At Myouga's advice, she had stayed in his embrace all evening, separating only for one of them to go use the latrines when they had to. Even right now, she was touching nothing but him, hoping it was enough to prevent her from becoming a wolf. Neither had eaten any dinner, not having much of an appetite. It seemed like it was going to be a long night.

They sat in a room Masao had prepared for them, leaning against a wall. There were no futons, but they didn't need any. Inuyasha planned to stay up all night watching over Kagome, who was going to hopefully get some sleep in his arms. Inuyasha didn't plan on letting his guard down for a second, not with Kagome in this state.

Kagome leaned against Inuyasha's chest, hearing his heartbeat and inhaling his scent. She wondered what he would smell like once she got a hanyou nose. She really hoped she became an inu-hanyou and not a wolf youkai, mostly because she wanted to feel closer to Inuyasha. That and if she became a wolf Kouga would be more encouraged to take her again.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome started to say to get his attention. "Thank you for all that you've done for me today. It really means a lot to me."

Inuyasha brushed some of her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to prevent it."

"And I'm sorry for what I did too." She added shamefully.

Inuyasha could tell she didn't mean the same thing he did, and got confused. "What do you mean? You've done nothing wrong. So what are you sorry for?"

"You were right about... him. You were always right about him. I should never have defended him." Kagome explained, painfully remembering all the times she and he had discussed Kouga. How he would insult the wolf youkai and she would accuse him of jealousy and overreacting, and sometimes leave afterwards.

Inuyasha lifted her chin up to make sure she was looking at him. "Kagome, don't you dare blame yourself for this. It wasn't your fault. It was that mangy wolf's fault and that bastard Naraku too. I'll kill them both to where even the crows can't find their remains."

"Why?" Kagome asked, feeling it was a good way to get him to explain how he felt about her.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Because... anything that hurts you hurts me too, worse than my own injuries."

Kagome tried to lean in closer, anxious to hear this. "Why? What exactly am I to you Inuyasha? Tell me the truth. I need to hear it."

Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. It looked like he was trying to find the right words to say, but they weren't coming easily. "Kagome, you... you're the most important thing in the world to me. All the time we've spent together, you became the only thing that really matters to me. Much more than the shards or defeating Naraku. I just have to say those are important to justify to others being near you."

Kagome blinked and then rubbed his cheek with her hand. "Inuyasha, do you love me?"

Again he struggled to answer. "Kagome, I... I feel... lighter and more cheerful with you around. Just the sight of you puts me at ease. I hate seeing you go down that well, because I'm always afraid you'll never come back. I feel... I need you around to really feel right in the world. And I would gladly give up everything I own if it meant you would never cry again. Is that love?"

Kagome saw it wasn't a rhetorical question. He was seriously asking her if that was love. It made sense that he wasn't sure exactly what the feeling was, since none had ever shown it to him before.

"Yes Inuyasha, that is love. I know... because that's exactly how I feel about you." Kagome told him, a small smile forming on her lips for the first time all day. "I love you, Inuyasha, and I have for a long time."

Inuyasha blinked several times, disbelieving what he had heard. "You... you do? Really?" Kagome nodded. "So... does that mean if I were to someday ask to court you, you would agree?"

"What's courting?" Kagome asked, her head tilted a little.

"It's... where two demons intend to one day... become mates. For some time, usually half a year to a year, they live together and find ways to have fun privately to let their feelings for one another grow and see if they are interested in becoming mates. If they do, then they mate and become what humans would call husband and wife." Inuyasha explained.

Kagome gasped. "Inuyasha... are you saying you want to... someday... marry me?"

"I would like to be mated with you Kagome. But... if you don't want that, I understand." Inuyasha replied sadly. Before he could say anything else, Kagome pulled him into a loving kiss, one that made them both feel like they were on Cloud 9 the whole time.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome said when they pulled apart. "I would love to be with you like that, someday. While I'm not ready to actually be married or mated yet, I would love to be with you forever. Maybe... sometime around the end of the year. Is that okay?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Whenever you want it. As long as we're together, the 'when' doesn't matter to me."

Kagome got more comfortable in his arms. "Thank you." Now that she felt a little better, she began to feel a little tired too. "Goodnight, Inuyasha. I love you." She said with a yawn, happy she no longer had to hide her feelings for him for fear of rejection. She was afraid of what nightmares she might have, but was consoled knowing the hanyou she loved was right there with her to keep watch.

"Goodnight Kagome. I... love you too." Inuyasha said as she started to fall asleep. It felt weird to actually say it outloud for him, but once he did he was glad. He leaned back against the wall and tried to imagine what life would have in store for them later on.


	2. Altered

Chapter 2:Altered

Morning came not soon enough for Inuyasha's entire group. Miroku and Sango woke up and stretched just a few minutes after the sun rose. Kirara and Shippou took a little longer to get up. Shippou wanted to start searching right away, but Miroku said that they should eat first since they had no idea how long it would take to find them. Shippou remarked snidely that he didn't need to since he was a youkai, and Sango couldn't help but comment that Inuyasha had rubbed off on him.

They ate a small breakfast using their provisions. Like Shippou, everyone was in a hurry to find Inuyasha and Kagome to make sure they were alright. As they finished, Miroku felt a small prick on his cheek and slapped it. As usual, it was Myouga.

"Myouga-ji-san? What brings you here?" The houshi asked the flea as he fell into his palm and soon recovered.

Myouga groaned as his body healed itself from the crushing swat. He may be as indestructible as a cockroach, but getting flattened like a bug still hurt. "I'm glad I caught you all. I was looking for you all night."

""Do you know where Kagome-chan and Inuyasha are?" Shippou eagerly asked as he got closer. Sango and Kirara did the same to hear better.

"Yes. They are safe at Inuyasha-sama's old house, which is west of here. That... is the good news." Myouga looked downward as he finished.

Sango blinked. "What's the bad news?"

Myouga hesitated to respond, and cleared his throat. "Well, Kagome-sama has been... victimized in two ways. First, Naraku used cursed powder to make her transform. By now, she is most likely an inu-hanyou like Inuyasha-sama."

"WHAT?" Everyone asked, more surprised than they had been in a long time.

Myouga sadly nodded. "Trust me. The second part is much worse."

"What is it?" Shippou asked, afraid to hear just how badly the woman who was like a mother to him was hurt.

"She..." Myouga suddenly found it hard to talk. "She had an... encounter with that wolf youkai you all know. A very, very _bad_ encounter."

"What kind of 'encounter'?" Miroku asked.

"Perhaps it is best if she herself explain it. She might prefer it that way." Myouga replied.

Sango got on her feet and Kirara changed to her larger form. "This I got to hear."

Everybody got on the nekomata and headed off west, anxious and nervous to hear what exactly had happened to Kagome and how Kouga was involved.

--

"No... Stop... Get off... I don't want to... Someone... Help!"

Kagome then screamed a little and jolted involuntarily. In the process she got out of Inuyasha's arms and lap and landed on the floor. She breathing heavily and clutching herself in a fetal position, laying on her right side. She was weeping and trying to remind herself that she was safe now, that Inuyasha was in the room with her and he wouldn't let anything happen. No one bad could get to her.

"It's okay, Kagome. You're safe. It was just a dream." Inuyasha said from behind her as he moved to help her back up.

Reassured but still a little panicked over it, Kagome got up on all fours, looking at the floor and breathing deeply now. "It was... horrible." She muttered, not needing to clarify any further.

"I know. But I have some good news." Inuyasha said as he pulled her into his arms again.

Wondering what he meant, she turned to face him. But instead of saying anything, the hanyou simply raised his right arm and placed his hand on her scalp. She could feel him caress something she couldn't identify. She moved one of her hands to the top of her head and felt what he felt: a dog ear. Kagome then felt both sides of her head, and discovered she had no human ears anymore. When she pulled her hands down, she and Inuyasha could see claws where fingernails used to be.

"Kagome, you smell just like an inu-hanyou now." Inuyasha told her as he put his hand down.

Kagome grinned a little and pulled him into a light hug. "Thank you Inuyasha. I feel so much better now." Once she rested her chin on his shoulder, she could smell him, and loved it. It reminded her of the forest they met in. "You smell really nice."

"You do too. You always have." Inuyasha replied. "What do you think the others will say?"

"Not sure. But since they can accept you, I'm sure they'll have no trouble with me. It's my family that worries me. Souta-kun will most likely be thrilled, Jii-chan will most likely be shocked, and Mama... I can't predict." Kagome responded.

"Just tell me when you want to go see them, and I'll take you there." Inuyasha told her.

This surprised her. "You... you're actually going to let me go to my family's house? Without a fuss?"

"Why wouldn't I? As much as I hate you going there, you need to be around people you care about now. I wouldn't be a good mate if I didn't let you go home, would I?"

Kagome leaned in and kissed him, then got settled in his lap. "Thank you. But... that place isn't really my home anymore."

Now Inuyasha was the one that looked surprised. "Then why do you always insist on going back all the time?"

"Because I need to get stuff from there for us sometimes. And they like to see me too." Kagome answered. "But... other then that, I really don't enjoy going back there anymore."

Over the year, it was kind of obvious to most that Kagome started to prefer being in the feudal era. Going back to the modern era had at first been both a break and a relief, but after a while it became more of an obligation. Usually the only thing she did there was take tests at school, stock up on supplies, and keep in touch with her family. Other than that, she felt no other reason to be in that time. The past was where she enjoyed being, and felt she belonged.

"So... does that mean you want to live on this side of the well?" Inuyasha asked, with a hint to relief in his voice that both heard. Now that Kagome had pretty much agreed to be his mate one day, he wanted to live where she chose to. While he didn't want to try to adjust to the smelly and noisy environment that was Tokyo, he knew that for her he would.

Kagome gave him a small grin. "Yeah. I like it here with everyone else. Kaede-ba-chan's village feels more like home than Tokyo does. Do you think we can live there?"

Inuyasha nodded a little. "If you want. I've grown to like it there too. Do you want me to make you a house next time we get there?"

Kagome nodded. "That would be nice. Just make sure it's big enough for you, me, and Shippou-chan. I know you two don't get along all the time but he is sorta like a son to me and he has nowhere to go."

Inuyasha pretty much predicted she would ask that. "If you want."

"That means that since you'll be my husband and Shippou-chan is my son, he'll be your son too. That means you have to treat him like a son and not be physically abusive anymore." Kagome pointed out.

"But, what should I do when he mouths off?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm sure that once Shippou-chan sees you as a father he'll stop mouthing off. Until then, just let me handle him." Kagome suggested.

"Feh. A whelp insults me and I'm supposed to let my mate defend me? Not likely."

"Just don't hit him anymore, okay?" Kagome asked as she started to massage one of his ears, hoping it would calm him down.

It worked, for Inuyasha's face lost a lot of it's determination. "Fine." He sighed.

When she finished, she simply rested her cheek against his chest, feeling more comfortable than she had in a long time. "Y'know, we've been talking about being mates, but you never actually proposed. You simply asked if I liked the idea."

Inuyasha could tell what she wanted. So he looked right at her and rubbed her cheek. "Kagome, will you be my mate?"

Kagome smiled and shed some tears, this time out of joy. "Yes Inuyasha, I will." She knew that people in the modern era might not be happy with her deciding this while she was still young, but she didn't care. She knew that being with Inuyasha was where she belonged.

Inuyasha smirked. "Good. Now that mangy wolf can't try to claim you again." As soon as he said this, Kagome instantly dropped her grin and looked down at her legs. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. I actually liked what you said. I just... wonder why he did... _that_ in the first place. I thought he was a friend."

"He's a wolf youkai Kagome. They're not exactly the nicest ones around women. I've seen how they treat them."

Kagome gave him a curious look. "When?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes and looked like he was trying to fight off a bad memory. "My mother... was raped by one too."

Kagome gasped and would have fallen out of his lap if he didn't have such a grip on her. She tried to ask him about it, but failed to make her voice work. Inuyasha could tell she wanted him to explain it. Under any other circumstances, he might have said 'None of your business', but here and now, he decided she had the right to know.

"When I was about Shippou's age, it happened. First, some wolf youkai with an infatuation for my mother found our first home and destroyed it. He didn't like the fact that she had mated Oyaji instead of him and had me. Luckily Masao helped us escape and brought us here, but she had already been... you know. She wasn't the same anymore, always depressed unless I was around. Masao told me what had happened and how to care for her. When I saw how dead she seemed inside, I vowed that my future mate would never suffer like that."

Inuyasha then pulled her into a hug so she wouldn't see the tears that were threatening to form around his eyes. "I'm so sorry I failed."

Kagome cried a little more freely and tried to soothe him. "It's not your fault."

"I won't let you end up like her, dead inside with no will to live." Inuyasha said assertively. "I'll make you smile and laugh, and be able to put this nightmare behind you. You deserve it."

Kagome smiled and relaxed. "Thank you."

'I won't let the rest of what happened to her happen to you too.' Inuyasha thought to himself.

About a year after Izayoi had been raped by the wolf youkai, he had managed to find them again. He tried to rape her again, but Masao fought him off while Inuyasha was forced to hide. Masao lost his wing in the fight but managed to fatally wound the wolf, who made sure that Izayoi died with him. Inuyasha could still remember the look on his mother's face as she died.

'I will not let Kouga come back for you. Next time I see him, he's dead.' Inuyasha promised himself, hoping that Kagome wouldn't subdue him when the opportunity came like she usually did.

--

Later, after the two had a small breakfast made by Masao, Inuyasha went out to find the others in their group. Kagome meanwhile took a bath in a nearby hot spring that had a hut built around it for privacy. She was very grateful that no one could see her. Masao took the time to mend her clothes, since he worked as a youkai tailor.

It took a while for Inuyasha to find the others without a scent trail. He was simply going back the way he came and was glad they were headed his way thanks to Myouga. Both he and Kirara stopped close to each other, but none of Kirara's riders got off her.

"Inuyasha! Where's Kagome-chan?" Shippou asked right away.

"She's safe." He answered. 'As safe as she _can_ be without me there.'

"What happened to her?" Sango asked.

Before Inuyasha could answer, Myouga got onto his nose. "Inuyasha-sama, how is Kagome-sama's... state of being?" He then took a drink and got swatted.

"Is Kagome-sama really an inu-hanyou like Myouga-ji-san said?" Miroku added.

"Why isn't she here?" Shippou asked.

Inuyasha growled irritably. "Do you really want to know or do you want to just keep asking questions without giving me the chance to answer?" Taking the hint, the others shut up. "Now, Kagome isn't here because she doesn't exactly want to travel right now. And yes, she _is _an inu-hanyou like me now, and she doesn't seem to mind it that much." He then added 'Especially considering the alternative,' in his mind.

"How did this happen?" Sango asked.

"Naraku." Inuyasha said, as if that was all the answer needed. For them it was.

"Also, Inuyasha, we earlier saw Kouga-kun pinned to a tree by an arrow, much like stories of your own entrapment. Any idea why?" Miroku added.

'What the...? Sounds like Kikyou already got to him. But why would she do that?' Inuyasha wondered. "No idea. Next time Kikyou shows up I'll ask."

Sango frowned a little. "You really should be more mindful of Kagome-chan, Inuyasha. She really hates it when you go off to Kikyou like you do."

Inuyasha frowned a little as well. "I didn't say I'd go to her. Besides, Kagome might want to hear this too and she knows I don't go to Kikyou out of love or anything like that."

Sango didn't look like she accepted the answer. "Does she really? She still feels that Kikyou is the only one in your heart and it tears her up inside to see you act like she's the only one who matters to you."

Inuyasha growled a little. "Just so you know, we talked last night and straightened things out. She even agreed to be my mate."

This surprised everyone even more than the news of Kagome becoming a hanyou. "You... actually told her you loved her?" Sango asked, no longer looking irritated at the inu-hanyou in front of her.

Inuyasha sighed. "Yes, I did. Anyone want to make fun of me for it?" He then glared at them all, as if to challenge them.

Miroku shrugged. "Why would we? It's about time you two admitted it. And we're happy the two of you are choosing to be together." Sango, Shippou, and Kirara nodded while Myouga tried to stay out of sight for now.

Inuyasha snorted and turned his head. "Good." He acted tough and indifferent, but was secretly glad they were so accepting of their situation. Then he noticed a familiar scent approaching and wasn't so glad anymore. "Great. We've got company."

Before anyone could ask who it was, Sesshoumaru showed up, looking like he always does. He saw them all but acted like he didn't care. "Move aside hanyou."

"And if I refuse?" Inuyasha countered.

"Then I'll kill you." Sesshoumaru warned.

Inuyasha nearly laughed. "Sure. You've never done it before. What makes you think you can now?"

Sesshoumaru was about to reach for Toukijin, but Ah-Un showed up alongside him carrying Rin and Jaken. So he decided to wait and see what happened. "Inuyasha-sama. How nice to see you and the others again." Rin greeted them all cheerfully.

Everyone stared at the little girl with wide eyes and slack jaws. It was definitely Rin, but she looked so different than the last time they saw her. Now she had silvery-white hair, two purple stripes on each cheek, and a purple crescent moon on her forehead that pointed to her right. She also had amber eyes, purple stripes on her wrists, claws, fangs, and a tail, but no fluffy mane.

Inuyasha was the first to regain his composure and face Sesshoumaru. "Let me guess. Naraku did this?"

"Yes. How did you know?" The taiyoukai asked.

"He did the same thing to Kagome." The hanyou answered. "He used something called yousei powder which can turn people into whatever type of youkai they're around the most."

"Why would he do this to her?" Sango asked, pointing to Rin.

"Maybe he was testing this powder to make sure it worked." Miroku suggested.

"Well, if Naraku could change her, surely he can change her back." Sesshoumaru stated. Once he did, Rin suddenly didn't look as cheerful anymore.

"Not likely, Sesshoumaru-sama." Myouga said from Inuyasha's shoulder, knowing the taiyoukai would be able to hear him. "The powder only works once and there is no antidote. That girl will most likely remain an inu-taiyoukai like yourself for the rest of her life."

Sesshoumaru's expression did not change when Myouga finished. Rin however got cheerful again, to the point where her tail started to wag. Since she had taiyoukai ears now, she had heard the flea too. Her reaction surprised everyone, who weren't expecting to see her so happy with the fate of being youkai.

"I have wasted enough time here." Sesshoumaru said before he started to walk again, this time not threatening the others to get out of his way. But after three steps, he stopped and turned to his vassals. "Rin, I want you to stay with these people until I come back. Ah-Un, keep an eye on her. Jaken, you come with me."

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama." Jaken and Rin said simultaneously, while Ah-Un just nodded with both heads. Jaken got off the dragonet and got beside Sesshoumaru who continued on his way.

"Why are you leaving the girl with us?" Inuyasha irritably shouted to his departing half-brother, who ignored him and went on his way.

"Sesshoumaru-sama said he saw Naraku's insects head that way and wanted to go see if Naraku himself was that way." Rin said to the hanyou, hoping it would answer his question.

Inuyasha's first instinct was to head off and try to deal with Naraku himself. But he saw Miroku, Sango, Shippou and Kirara and remembered why he had come here in the first place. He decided that bringing them to Kagome was more important than fighting Naraku.

"Let's get going. Kagome really wants to see you all." He told them. Kirara got ready to fly.

"Should I come too?" Rin asked.

"Might as well." Miroku said. Nobody was really in the mood to argue, and nobody really wanted to give Sesshoumaru a reason to be upset with them. Not that he ever needed a reason.

Everybody then headed off to Inuyasha's old house.

--

Kagome got out of the bath hut and walked towards the main building. She had dried off and was wearing a yellow bathrobe-like yukata, and was looking for Masao so she could wear some real clothes. She was about to go inside when she heard a scream from the woods surrounding the estate.

She turned and saw a young girl in tattered clothes running from some unseen trouble. The girl saw Kagome and ran towards her, shouting "Help!" as she ran. Kagome opened the door and the girl dashed inside before Kagome entered and closed it.

Kagome took the girl into one of the rooms. There she saw the girl had brown hair and canine ears on her head with ruby red pupils. She looked to be about Shippou's age, maybe younger. "What's your name? Where are your parents?" Kagome politely asked.

The girl seemed out of breath. "I'm... Reiko. My... father was part of... the western... wolf youkai tribe. My mother... was a human I... never knew."

"Wolf hanyou?" Kagome asked the girl to make sure she understood correctly. Reiko, the girl, nodded. "Hi. I'm Kagome, an inu-hanyou." It felt a little weird to actually admit it when she still felt mostly human.

Reiko looked over the older woman who had saved her. "Then I don't have to worry about you trying to kill me?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "I would never..." Some sounds stopped her from finishing. "Hold on, and stay quiet." She opened the door a crack to hear what was going on. She was amazed at how well she could hear now.

Masao was at the front door, where three armored and armed wolf youkai stood. "Can I help you?"

"We're looking for an escaped hanyou that came through here. Have you seen a young hanyou girl of about six human years of age?" One of the wolves asked the tengu.

"Sorry. The only hanyou girl I've seen is much older." He told them. He had been told earlier of the circumstances involving Kagome's transformation. All except the rape part.

One of the wolves sniffed the place to see if they could find Reiko's scent. Luckily she was downwind. All he noticed was Inuyasha's scent. "Why does this place reek of dog?"

"I have an inu-youkai as a guest. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Masao told them, lying a little since they obviously didn't like hanyous. Without waiting for their consent, he closed the shoji and waited to hear them go away before turning away himself.

"Thank you Masao-san." Kagome lightly called out to him. She didn't like the idea of any male wolf youkai being near her now.

"It was nothing, Kagome-sama. By the way, I'm done mending your fire rat kimono, so now it'll react to your aura and be your armor. I could not mend your other outfit, with it being some type I've never seen before."

Kagome gulped. "Just get rid of it. Burn it, shred it, throw it away, whatever. Just... get rid of it." She couldn't bring herself to ever wear her school uniform again. Not that she could go to school anymore with her new ears.

"If you say so. By the way, should I take a look at that girl's outfit too?" Masao offered.

Reiko squeaked a little at being known and Kagome took a deep breath. "You... knew she was here?"

"I may not have your nose, but I have very good eyes. I'm quite perceptive." With a beak for a mouth, it was hard to tell if the bird youkai was grinning or not.

Kagome looked to Reiko then back to Masao. "If you don't mind, I think her clothes could use some work. I'll make sure you're paid."

"Okay. Just let me go get your clothes and a spare set for her." Masao said then walked away.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Reiko asked, as if the idea was ludicrous to her.

"Why wouldn't I? You've done nothing wrong, have you?" Kagome responded.

"I was born. I'm told that was wrong." Reiko sadly said, looking at the floor.

Kagome scooted over and hugged the young girl. "That's wrong. Anybody that hates you just for being born is a narrow-minded baka."

Reiko felt surprised and good at the same time. Being hugged by this strange person just felt so warm and natural. Reiko couldn't remember anything about her mother, not even her scent, but wondered if this was how it felt to have one.

"Can I... stay with you?" She asked the older hanyou.

"Do you not have any family to go to?" Kagome asked.

"No." Reiko answered, shaking her head. "My mother and the old woman who did watch over me are dead, and my father wants nothing to do with me." Kagome growled a little at this last part.

"Then you can stay with me and my friends. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine." Kagome said, making the wolf hanyou smile a little.

--

Hakkaku was by a stream, him and the wolves getting a drink. They had been searching for Ginta all morning but couldn't find him. Then he remembered that Inuyasha's group had been nearby and tried to find them, just to find _somebody_. No luck there either since they had left the forest last night and Hakkaku hadn't yet.

So now, the mohawked wolf youkai had no company or clue as to what had happened. And he didn't like it. He laid back on the grassy bank and tried to collect himself while the wolves rested. If there was anything to be grateful for, it was that now Kouga wasn't exhausting them.

"Hmm... I can't find Ginta-kun or Inuyasha-kun's group. The only other people I know are the northern tribe, but they..." He was about to finish with 'are too far away', but suddenly thought otherwise. Sure, they were far away, but the only place he had left to go was to them. Besides, Ayame was there and she'd be very interested in saving Kouga from his trap.

With no real reason not to, Hakkaku and the wolves soon headed north, although not as fast as Kouga would have made them if he were still awake.

--

Inuyasha and everyone with him got back to Masao's place shortly after noon. He was eagerly greeted by Kagome, who was wearing her fire rat kimono again. Even though everyone had been told of her recent change, it still felt weird to actually see it. When Kagome saw them, she hugged Sango and Shippou, but not Miroku out of fear of his wandering hand and how she'd react to it.

"Like the new look everybody?" She playfully asked them, aware they were staring at her ears. Or at least she hoped her ears when it came to Miroku.

"It's... different, that's for sure." Shippou said, trying not to offend her.

"Wow. Kagome-sama, you've changed too!" Rin shouted as she jumped off Ah-Un and went over to her.

"Rin-chan?" Kagome asked, barely believing her eyes. The now-youkai girl nodded. "But how?"

"We think Naraku may have tested the powder on her before using it on you." Inuyasha told her.

"Kagome-sama, are you happy to be part youkai now? I sure am." Rin asked, being a bit of a chatterbox like always.

"Really? Why?" Kagome asked.

Rin quickly lost her smile and looked downwards, her tail drooping. "It's... a long story. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"Hey, Kagome-chan, who's this?" Shippou asked, pointing at the door of the house. Kagome and everyone else turned to see Reiko, trying to hide yet trying to get a good look at everyone too.

"My name is Reiko. I mean you no harm." She was very nervous, and for good reason. In front of her was a houshi and a taijiya, and she knew what those types of people liked to do to her kind. A few had already tried once.

Inuyasha took a closer look and sniffed. "A wolf hanyou?"

Reiko sheepishly nodded. "Kagome-sama saved me from other wolves wanting to kill me. She said I could stay in her pack for a while."

Inuyasha turned to Kagome. "On the one hand, I'm surprised. On the other hand, I'm not."

Kagome understood. He was surprised she'd let any wolf stay nearby, yet not surprised she wanted to help a helpless child. Despite Kouga's actions, she couldn't hate all wolves, especially one that clearly was no threat.

"She's got nowhere else to go." Kagome explained. "And some other wolf youkai are hunting for her just because she's a hanyou. I had to help her."

"Feh." was all Inuyasha had to say, and she could tell it meant he was going to let her help the young girl.

"While we're on the subject of wolf youkai, Kagome-chan, yesterday we saw Kouga-kun pinned to..." Sango started to say but stopped when she heard Kagome squeak in fear at the mentioning of Kouga's name. She also tensed up like she had just been poked with something really hot in the back. Inuyasha noticed and hugged her to calm her, which worked a little. "Kagome-chan, is something wrong?"

"I... I just... It's..." Kagome kept fumbling around with words, to the point where soon she didn't even know what she was trying to say.

When Kagome stopped, Sango continued. "Well, as I was saying, we saw him earlier pinned to a tree, much like how we heard Inuyasha was."

Kagome blinked. 'It had to be Kikyou. But why would she do that?'

"By the way, Kagome-sama, we found these. I thought you might want them back." Miroku reached for something they had been carrying with them since yesterday. It turned out to be Kagome's yellow backpack along with her bow and quiver. Naraku had removed them after she passed out and she ran off without them later. And while trying to find everyone, Miroku and the others stumbled upon it and brought it with them.

Kagome accepted them back, but didn't put them on. "Thanks, Miroku-sama." She then turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, can we go back inside?" With some wolf youkai scouting the surrounding area, she didn't want to be out for long.

Inuyasha nodded and led her in. The others soon followed while Ah-Un stayed outside.


	3. Answered

Chapter 3:Answered

Now that everyone was at Masao's house, everyone in Inuyasha's group decided to relax and enjoy a momentary break from their travels and mission. They weren't planning to stay for long, considering that Inuyasha kept them moving around all the time and they didn't want to take advantage of the tengu's hospitality. But for now they wanted a little break from their routine.

One of the first things Sango did was ask if there was a hot spring nearby. She was shown the bath hut and was offered a bathrobe-like yukata, but denied it, saying she didn't need it. She'd just dry off and redress in the hut itself. She invited Kagome to join so they could have a private conversation. Kagome said she already had a bath, but wouldn't mind sitting nearby and talking for a while.

Sango was in the water while Kagome sat against the wall of the hut, with her chin on her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs. Sango could instantly tell Kagome wasn't very happy. "Kagome-chan, Myouga-ji-san told us that something bad happened to you earlier involving Kouga-kun. Can you tell me?"

Instead of answering, Kagome hid her face between her knees and her new dog ears flattened against her head. She began to rock back and forth a little and a small growl could be heard from her. The growl soon turned into a whimper, like a frightened puppy. When she looked back up, her eyes were a little teary. "He... attacked me."

This definitely surprised the taijiya. "He attacked you? Kagome-chan, you're possibly the only person in the world that Kouga-kun would never try to hurt."

Kagome growled a little. "Are you saying I'm lying? He found me alone in that forest and hurt me in the worst way a man can hurt a woman! And he claimed I wanted him to!" She paused to take a breath and stop wanting to shout. "And please don't say his name. It hurts just to hear it."

Sango's eyebrows arched. "Kagome-chan, exactly what kind of 'attack' did Ko... sorry, that wolf do to you?" Judging from what Kagome had just said, Sango already had an idea, but prayed she was wrong.

Kagome suddenly found it difficult to talk. But like with Inuyasha she managed to make herself say it. "He... raped me." It was barely above a whisper, but Sango didn't need hanyou ears to hear it.

Sango nearly facefaulted in the water. "WHAT?" No longer interested in bathing, the taijiya got out of the water and went over to sit next to Kagome. She made sure to bring a towel to start drying off.

"Everything alright in there?" Inuyasha's voice could be heard on the other side of the wall, having been alerted by Sango's shout.

"Everything's fine. Sango-chan just got a little surprised." Kagome called out to him.

"Have you been listening to us?" Sango irritably shouted through the wall, annoyed that their privacy had been invaded yet again while bathing, even if it wasn't peeping this time.

"No. I've been talking to Miroku most of the time. Your shout just caught my attention." The hanyou replied. "Want us to leave?"

"No, you can stay. Just don't eavesdrop." Kagome told him. Kagome felt a lot better knowing that Inuyasha was nearby, even if separated by a wooden wall. Sango wasn't as comfortable with the idea of letting the men stay nearby, considering their history, but for Kagome's sake chose not to argue.

When Inuyasha didn't reply, the two girls went back to their conversation. "Kouga-kun really did that to you? How? Why?" Sango asked, starting to dry off her legs but her attention not really on the task.

"It's mostly Naraku's doing. He knocked me out with a few punches, and with the way I landed I guess... that mangy wolf saw me and thought I was saying 'take me'." Kagome tried to explain, intentionally using one of Inuyasha's names for Kouga and somewhat enjoying it.

"So he was tricked too?" Sango asked, wondering if maybe he was innocent in this but doubting this.

"No. Nothing made him do what he did. He didn't look or act controlled and with what he said during, he obviously enjoyed himself." Kagome spit out the last part like it was poison and growled. "I wanted to believe he didn't mean it, but looking back, I can't." She closed her eyes. "There I was, hurt in a strange forest with no one around, and my supposed... _friend_ was only concerned about making me his mate right then and there, whether I agreed or not."

Sango was drying off her arms and growling a bit herself, as best a human can. "That bastard. He deserves worse than to be stuck on a tree. He deserves to be cut to pieces." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kagome nod very faintly. "How did you get away?"

"Another wolf came and attacked him, one of the ones that always follow _him _around. I'm not sure why, but I could only think about running away at the time. I found Kirara and she took me to Inuyasha who brought us here, and you know the rest."

Sango patted her friend on the shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Kagome-chan."

"Thanks Sango-chan. I'm glad you and the others are here now. You're like the sister I never had." Kagome said with a faint grin.

"Likewise." Sango replied as she started to put her clothes back on.

--

While Kagome and Sango had their private conversation, Inuyasha and Miroku had their own chat outside on the house's porch. Inuyasha wanted to stay close to Kagome in case anything bad happened. Miroku decided to keep him company and try to get some answers out of him while the kids played elsewhere.

At first, Inuyasha didn't want to tell the houshi what had happened to Kagome. But he soon realized that Kagome or maybe Sango would tell him before the day ended anyway, so it didn't really matter if he knew now. Also, he had a suspiscion that Kagome might want him to tell Miroku anyway for her, so he did.

Miroku swifted his feet and scratched an itch, one that wasn't Myouga-related. "So Kagome-sama was violated by Kouga-san?" He asked to make sure he heard right. Inuyasha nodded. "And that was after Naraku used that powder on her?" Inuyasha nodded again. "I wonder just what that man was planning."

"Myouga-jiji thinks that Naraku wanted Kagome to become a wolf youkai for some reason." Inuyasha stated.

"That's what confuses me. Exactly how does Naraku benefit from turning her into one? You know he never does anything without him ultimately being the one that benefits." Miroku responded.

Inuyasha knew it was true. When Naraku helped Abi-hime heal her sick mother, it was so he could get to where the last shard was. When he resurrected the Band of Seven, it was so they could buy him time to perfect his body at Mt. Hakurei. When he played dead and temporarily removed Miroku's kazaana, it was to lure Kaguya-hime out so he could absorb her and become immortal. All of Naraku's plans led to him getting stronger, and it was unlikely that this time he wasn't striving for that.

Miroku fiddled with his shakujo for a moment. "Okay. For a minute let's pretend that Naraku's plan succeeded and Kagome-sama had become a wolf youkai. What would have happened then?"

Inuyasha snarled at the thought. "I don't want to think about it!"

"Best I can tell, Naraku wasn't expecting Kouga-san to be pinned to a tree or Kagome-sama escaping." Miroku put a hand on his chin. "He probably expected Kagome-sama to become Kouga-san's mate, albeit unwillingly. I just..."

"Kagome would never be that stinking wolf's mate!" Inuyasha shouted, interrupting the houshi. "And you can't become a mate unwillingly! The mark only stays if she accepts the union!"

Every instinct in Miroku's body told him to drop the subject, although he kept going over it in his mind.

--

Shippou, Rin, and Reiko, were in what could loosely be called the house's front yard, playing hide-and-seek in the trees and bushes. Reiko had been hesitant, since she didn't know them at all and her pursuers were still out, but Shippou made her feel welcome. The kitsune-youkai and the wolf hanyou were currently hiding, while Rin was the seeker.

While simply recreational for humans, the game of hide-and-seek was very important to youkai young, especially the predatory types. With heightened senses of sight, smell, and hearing, the game was tough for the hiders since the seekers could track them easily if they were careless. This encouraged the hiders to be more clever at finding places to hide and covering their tracks and scent trail. And that in turn encouraged the seeker to better scope out it's surroundings and find the trail. Ultimately this simple game taught youkai how to hide from predators and how to hunt prey, all while having some fun too.

Having been an inu-taiyoukai for some time now, Rin wasn't as handicapped in this game as she would have been before. She could smell Shippou's scent going up a tree before disappearing, implying he had jumped to another one, and Reiko's scent zigzagging through several bushes. Having the strongest nose of them all, she'd find them soon, but decided to take her time. It would be boring if her turn ended too quickly.

Rin stopped off at a stream to get a drink. She could smell Reiko in one of the bushes and heard Shippou trying to keep his balance on a tree limb above her. But for now she decided to act like she didn't know. She wanted to see if they would foolishly reveal themselves in an attempt to get away while she was distracted. If they did, she'd get to have some fun chasing them.

After Rin finished her drink, she sensed they hadn't moved an inch. 'Smart whelps. Hoping the predator won't notice you and just move on, huh?' After being a taiyoukai for a while now, her new instincts were firmly in place and she was thinking more like a youkai than a human now. She decided to end the game. "Okay, fox-boy, you're in the tree above me. Wolf-girl, you're in the bushes." She pointed to each of them as she said this.

Caught, the two hiders came out. "Wow. You're good." Reiko exclaimed, feeling much more relaxed now.

"Well, I _am _a taiyoukai now." Rin replied with a hint of modesty but not much.

"You sure seem pleased about that." Shippou stated, noticing her tail started to wag a little when she said that.

"And why wouldn't I be?" Rin asked, turning to the kitsune-youkai.

"Well, most humans would be sickened by the idea of being a youkai for the rest of their lives." Shippou replied.

Rin snorted. "I'm not like most humans. Besides, Kagome-sama doesn't seem sickened by being a hanyou."

"Kagome-chan's always had a soft spot for hanyous." Shippou told her. Reiko blinked at this. "And what do you mean by 'I'm not like most humans'?"

Rin adverted her gaze. "I prefer being around youkai, so it's only natural I like the idea of being youkai myself. And I don't know that many humans that are nice, outside of your pack."

"Why?" Reiko asked.

"What do you mean?" Shippou asked at the same time.

Rin turned away so they couldn't see her grimacing face. "I don't know you two well enough to tell you that yet. It's really personal and painful." After a deep breath, she faced them again, smiling this time. "C'mon. Let's play again. This time, one of you has to search."

It was decided that Shippou would this time, and he began counting as the two girls started to hide.

--

Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango were in one of the rooms of the house, sitting down to chat and eat, while Masao and Myouga were busy elsewhere. Since Kagome didn't eat last night due to a lack of appetite, she was pretty hungry now. Nobody else was really that hungry, although Inuyasha had gotten one of Kagome's ramen bowls out of her backpack.

As soon as he saw her, Miroku offered his condolences to Kagome. She thanked him but kept some distance in case of his 'cursed' hand. She somewhat doubted he would try to grope her, but didn't want to take the chance. If he did, she might react in a way that was worse than Sango.

Deciding to avoid the uncomfortable topic of Kouga, Sango chose a more suitable one. "So, Kagome-chan, what's it like to be a hanyou now?"

"Right now it's not that different than being human, but with much better eyes, ears, and a nose." She answered. She was trying to get more familiar with certain scents, like her friends and things like trees and water. She was really surprised when she found she could smell water.

"The flea said she would get youkai instincts too. I guess she hasn't gotten them yet." Inuyasha added.

"Better not turn into Inuyasha on us, Kagome-sama." Miroku jokingly told her. Inuyasha growled a little at the houshi. Kagome, knowing it was a joke, simply and purposely replied with 'feh', making them all laugh a little.

"Hey, I just thought of something." Sango stated. "Myouga-ji-san said that the change from the powder was irreversible. Do you think that means that even the Shikon no Tama couldn't change her back to human?"

Kagome thought about it. "I think he meant that the powder wouldn't work on me a second time. I think the jewel might be able to, but to be honest, I don't think I want that. I want to give this body a try."

Back when the evil sword Sounga was trying to ruin the world, Kagome found out that Inuyasha was about two hundred years old. 150 if you didn't count the years he was pinned to the Goshinboku. He was that old and barely looked older than her. She knew that if she was human and with him, she would grow old and look like Kaede while he stayed young. She didn't like that idea. If she was going to be his mate, she wanted to be with him for as long as possible, and that was more likely as a hanyou than a human.

"Kagome-chan, if you're a miko _and _a hanyou, then wouldn't you purify yourself?" Sango asked. Kagome's eyes widened a bit at the idea.

Miroku coughed a little to get everyone's attention. "This is hard to say, but I think that Kagome-sama isn't a miko anymore. I noticed that her miko aura was gone as soon as we got here. What Kouga-san did must have gotten rid of her powers."

Kagome was confused for only a second, then realization hit her. As a shrine child, she knew that miko's only kept their power as long as they were virgins. So now that Kouga had changed that, she was no longer a true miko and had no power anymore. Instead all she had was youkai power in it's place. Now her arrows were useless after all that work and archery practice.

"But... but I can still sense the shards." Kagome sadly countered, trying not to feel useless. She had some shards with her and could still feel their aura like always.

"You said that the jewel was part of your body before it shattered, am I right?" Miroku asked. Kagome nodded. "I think that is the real reason you can sense the shards. If a miko aura was all it took, Kaede-sama would be able to sense them as well."

Relieved that she was still useful to the group, Kagome took a few more bites out of her meal. She hated the idea of being dead weight to those she cared about. She decided to have Inuyasha teach her how to fight like a hanyou and have Toutousai provide her with a weapon seal to replace her miko arrows and prevent any unwanted transformations. She knew it would most likely be a sword and not a bow, but she was willingly to learn how to use it. She wanted to contribute more to their goal than just finding shards.

Before anyone could say anything else, a scream was heard from outside. It was from one of the kids, but it was hard to tell which one. Inuyasha grabbed the hilt of Tetsusaiga and went outside to see what the threat was, and everyone followed. When out, everyone saw Shippou and Reiko run right to them and hide behind Kagome. Rin stood facing the threat, which turned out to be the three wolf youkai that were hunting Reiko earlier and one extra one with them. Ah-Un got defensive and watched over Rin from by the house.

The extra wolf youkai saw them all and stepped forward with his arms crossed. His clothes were different than most wolf youkai; he dressed more like a ninja than anything else. Instead of armor, he wore a brown fur dogi with a belt that held several kunai and a few shurikan. His hair was tan and his eyes were ruby red, and he did not look pleasant.

"Hand over that disgrace, dogs." He ordered them, clearly referring to Reiko, who was quivering behind Kagome.

Kagome tried to put up a tough front, but found it tougher than she thought. "No. I know you want to kill her just because she's a hanyou. I won't let you."

"How dare you refuse Souichiro-sama like that, you impudent creature!" One of the other wolf youkai shouted.

Souichiro, the ninja wolf, saw they weren't going to cooperate, and moved forward more. Rin flashed her claws and struck him in the leg above his knee, shouting "Poison Claws," as she did. Thanks to the yousei powder, everything Sesshoumaru could do, Rin now could or would at least learn later on. While Rin's venom was weaker, it seemed to be enough to hurt the wolf and make him fall to his knees.

Seeing their leader hurt, the other three wolf youkai moved to attack the taiyoukai girl. She countered with a youki whip just like Sesshoumaru's own, only her's was teal instead of yellow. She knocked them all into the nearby trees and seemed to be enjoying herself while she was doing it. Rin liked Inuyasha's pack and Reiko, and wasn't going to let anyone try to hurt them now that she could fight back.

Everyone watched this in stunned silence. Even Ah-Un looked like it hadn't known she could do this. "Should we help her?" Sango asked.

"I don't think she needs it." Miroku answered.

The other three wolves tried to attack her again. Instead of her youki whip, Rin's eyes glowed red and soon her entire body changed to that of a demonic dog. It looked a lot like Sesshoumaru's own animal form, but was much smaller, only a little bigger than Rin's normal body, and had no mane. Ultimately, she looked like a female puppy version of Sesshoumaru.

Rin wasted no time in showing off her dog body and attacked. In this form her venom was more potent and even her saliva had some poison in it. Having no love of wolves since they had killed her once, Rin showed no mercy to them and made sure to poison them all. They wouldn't die, at least not right away, but it was enough to make them regret attacking her.

While Rin was busy, Souichiro got back to his feet and tried to get over to the others. Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga. "Get outta here wolf! You could barely stand up to a whelp. What makes you think you can take us on?"

"You're nothing but hanyou's and humans. You're no threat." Souichiro countered.

"Hey! I'm a full-fledged youkai!" Shippou retorted. Kirara mewed in agreement next to him and hissed before turning to her saber-toothed form.

"Go away!" Reiko shouted. "You said you don't want anything to do with me so just leave me alone!"

"You know this guy?" Kagome asked.

Reiko sheepishly nodded. "Yes. He's my... father."

"I told you don't ever call me that!" Souichiro shouted. "You're just a mistake! An abomination!"

Kagome growled. "If you hate hanyous so much, then why did you mate with a human?"

"I didn't! A human woman tried to kill me years ago and I decided to punish her. I never expected a hanyou to be born because of it." Souichiro responded angrily.

Kagome gasped then growled. This guy had pretty much confessed to raping someone as a way to punish them, and not wanting to have anything to do with Reiko because he didn't feel responsible for her. "Reiko-chan, do you care about this man at all?"

The wolf hanyou sniffled. "It's kind of hard to when he tried to slash my throat himself."

That made Kagome even angrier. "Inuyasha, please kill him."

Inuyasha didn't reply. Instead he just charged at the wolf ninja and Sango joined him, hiraikotsu out and ready to kill. Miroku stayed with Kagome to help her guard the two scared kids, in case someone tried something sneaky. Kagome made sure that Reiko didn't watch the fight. Ah-Un had to stay out of the fight since it's bridle was still on, preventing it from using it's breathing attacks.

With his injured leg and two pissed off enemies, Souichiro didn't stand a chance. He managed to dodge Inuyasha swinging Tetsusaiga, but got hit from behind by the hiraikotsu and got cut in half by it. Inuyasha then swung his sword again to cut him in half vertically, ensuring he was dead. It may have been overkill, but no one thought anything of it.

The three other wolf youkai saw this and were appalled. They wanted to get revenge, but were in no shape after facing a youkai Rin who showed no signs of tiring. Two managed to escape while the third laid dying by a tree. Rin saw him taking his last breaths and wondered how she should feel about her first kill. Maybe it was because she was now a predatory taiyoukai or Sesshoumaru's influence outside of her change, but she felt a strange sense of calm and detachment from the act, as if it was normal.

"Inuyasha-sama, two managed to get away. Do you want me to go find them?" Rin said as she returned to her human form and returned to them. Ah-Un nuzzled her with both heads to ensure she was fine.

"No. They may have something planned for you, and my brother won't like it if you get hurt. Even if we didn't do it he'd take it out on us." He told the girl.

"Sesshoumaru-sama isn't as heartless as you think. He did ask you to move aside earlier today. If he was heartless, he would have just killed you without warning." Rin countered.

Inuyasha 'fehhed' and carried away Souichiro's corpse into the woods to be buried. Rin then went over to Reiko and asked how she was. The wolf hanyou said she was fine, relieved a little now that someone who had tried to kill her was dead now, even if they were supposed to be family. Like Rin, she had an odd detachment from the death. Everyone then went inside.

When Inuyasha returned, Reiko bowed to him. "Thank you very much for saving me, Inuyasha-sama. How can I ever repay you?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Don't know. I'm sure later on you might be able to."

Reiko then raised her head. "Until then, I'd like to stay in your pack so I can." Even though Kagome had already told her she could, Reiko instinctively knew she had to ask the alpha of the pack for real permission to join. And every instinct told her that Inuyasha was the said alpha.

Inuyasha looked over to see the others. No one had any objections it seemed, and Kagome and Shippou seemed pleased with the idea. "Fine. You'll stay with us from now on." Reiko smiled and stepped out of his way. "I'm thinking it's about time we head back to the village."

"What for?" Miroku curiously asked.

"First, Kagome needs to spend some time with her family. And second, those damn wolves may come back here with reinforcements. It's better we're not here for them to find." Inuyasha explained.

Sango nodded. "I agree. We should head back."

"Don't know if they'll last that long. They took a lot of poison from me." Rin exclaimed confidently.

Shippou gave her a weird, slightly disgusted look. "You're a scary girl, you know that?" This only made her smirk.

Everyone then gathered up their things and thanked Masao for helping them. The tengu gave Reiko a new kimono, and Kagome handed him some coins. Myouga apparently had already gone off to Toutousai's so they got ready without him. Kagome got on Inuyasha's back while Miroku, Sango, and Shippou got on Kirara's back. Rin turned to her dog form and chose to run herself, confident she could keep up and wanting to stay in that form should another threat show up. Ah-Un would take up the rear. Reiko chose to ride Rin, who had no objections. Rin may not like wolves, but she liked Reiko since she could have fun with her.

Everyone left the tengu's house and headed towards the village they called home, followed by three new traveling companions.

--

Naraku had been searching the area through Kanna's mirror, trying to find any trace of Inuyasha's group. So far he couldn't, for they weren't in the forest Kanna was scrying in. He had seen Kouga stuck to a tree and wondering how it happened. Since he hadn't seen Kikyou yet, he assumed it was Kagome who had done that.

Kagura had wandered into his room and saw what he was doing. "What's so interesting about this forest Naraku?"

"I'm trying to find the members of Inuyasha's group, to see if my plan worked." He answered.

"What plan this time?" The wind witch asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I made it so that Kouga would take advantage of Kagome and turn her into a wolf. Imagine Inuyasha's shock when he sees that and thinks she's left him for his rival." Naraku snickered. "And Kagome herself will be greatly unhappy too."

Kagura gasped. She may be Inuyasha's groups enemy, but she was a woman and found what Naraku had just said appalling. "You son of a bitch! That's too cruel even for you!"

Naraku gave her a barely patient look. "Watch how you address me Kagura."

"I don't care! I never liked you Naraku, and this is by far the worst thing you've ever done! If you're going to continue this, I'll have no part of it, no matter what you say!" Kagura glared daggers at the dark hanyou, wishing she was doing it literally and not metaphorically.

Naraku arched an eyebrow and blinked. "Even if I offered you freedom afterwards?"

Kagura snorted. "You're lying. You'd never offer me that as long as you live. And even if you were serious, I still would refuse. This plan is just too sickening."

"Then I guess I have no more use for you." Naraku said as Kagura's heart formed in his hands. He then filled it with hs miasma, making Kagura spasm with pain, then thrust it into her chest. "There. Now you have you heart. Go on, enjoy your freedom for the rest of your life." Naraku said then grinned evilly. "Which should be until about sunset."

He laughed as Kagura fled from his hideout on her feather, desperate to escape her fate.

_AN: I'm aware that in most fics Kagome keeps her miko powers even after losing her virginity. In those stories, she lost it willingly in an act of love. Since she wouldn't see herself as tainted and impure like most miko's would, she'd keep her abilities. Under the circumstances in this fic, where she lost it unwillingly to someone she didn't love, she would see herself as tainted and thus lose her powers._


	4. Afraid

Chapter 4:Afraid

Kaede was out scouting the edge of the forest for herbs as usual for the afternoon. Injuries were fairly common in what was often referred to as _her _village, and she often needed to get more medical plants. Sometimes she went and collected them as a way to pass the time and avoid boredom, saying having too many was better than not enough. She was fortunate that the forest surrounding the village, often called Inuyasha's Forest, had plenty of these plants that grew quickly and abundantly.

After finding a sleep-aid herb she needed, Kaede sensed someone approaching from up ahead towards the north. Using her one good eye, the elderly miko managed to see who it was, and was definitely surprised. "Ki... Kikyou-onee-sama?"

"Hello Kaede." The undead miko said when she got closer. "I come bearing grim news."

"What is it?" Kaede was worried it had to do with Inuyasha's and Kagome's fate, since her older sister always tried to get between the two of them.

As much as Kaede honored her sister, or more specifically the sister she had before she was resurrected, she valued the well-being of Inuyasha and Kagome more. It was mainly because she knew her sister was dead and had made peace with that decades ago. When Kikyou was presumed dead at Naraku's hands months ago, Kaede felt only a ting of remorse for a short time. Inuyasha and Kagome were a higher priority because they were still alive and had a chance at life together. Also, Kaede tended to see them like the grandchildren she never could have, which was somewhat odd because for a time long ago she tried to see Inuyasha as an older brother instead. But things had changed now.

Kikyou stared off west, looking at the lowering sun. "Sometime soon, if not today, Inuyasha and Kagome will return here. Kagome will be incredibly unhappy, more so than ever before, but not for the usual reason."

"What has happened to Kagome-chan?" Kaede asked nervously.

Kikyou closed her eyes. "She has been... attacked. She is no longer a miko, but Inuyasha is not the one responsible."

"By the gods." Kaede gasped. She knew from her training that there was one kind of 'attack' that could rob a miko of her powers. "Is... is she well?"

"I have not seen her since it happened, so I cannot say for sure. But I'm positive she and Inuyasha will come here soon." Kikyou said before she dug a hand into a pocket and pulled out two shards. "Give these to them when they return. I'm sure it'll make them both feel better." Kaede accepted the shards, and Kikyou turned to leave.

"Kikyou-onee-sama, wait!" Kaede called, regaining the attention of the undead miko. "If ye don't mind, may I ask what ye have intended for Inuyasha currently?" She knew from experience and stories that ever since her resurrection, Kikyou had been planning on taking the hanyou to Hell with her. Kaede could only hope that by now her older sister may have changed.

"I have no plans for Inuyasha. It's no longer my place to make plans." Kikyou said with a sigh. Then her eyes seemed to flicker. "By the way Kaede, I almost forgot. Do you happen to have a spare eye-patch? Someone I know needs one."

"Not with me, but I can go get one if ye wait here." The elderly miko said before walking back to her hut, trying to take all this new information in.

--

Everyone in Inuyasha's group was about a few hours away from Kaede's village now. Nobody talked, not really knowing what to say anyway. Kagome was too deep in thought, thinking about how weak she felt, and Inuyasha still cursed himself for not being able to help her when she needed it the most. Miroku and Sango didn't know what to say that hadn't already been said, and Shippou knew that needless chatter to avoid silence was uncalled for here. Reiko didn't know how to talk to anyone without being addressed first, and Rin couldn't talk even if she wanted to. Well, she could, but not in human words at the time.

Kagome had been told by them all that she wasn't weak. But despite it all, that was exactly how she felt just then. Almost useless even. She believed her fighting skills were nothing to be proud of compared to the others. She barely contributed to the battle if she didn't have to, and had always relied on someone else for protection. Everyone protected her, and now they did more than ever. She was pleased and humbled by their care and effort, but also embarrassed and ashamed. She felt pitied, by everyone she knew and thought herself feeble even if they disagreed.

She felt insignificant. Insignificant, pitiful, horrible, and disgraced. It didn't matter if she had never been physically stronger thanks to her now hanyou body, she'd never felt worse inside. In one moment, her life had been ruined and turned around. She didn't know what bothered her more: what Kouga did or the fact that he did it. She had always thought of him as a friend and a naive suitor, much like Houjou, but what he did made her sick to her stomach. Just thinking about it made her want to scream and rip something to shreds, preferably him.

She smirked at that last thought. 'I guess my new instincts are starting to form.' Normally she hated wishing ill will on anyone outside Naraku or another foe, but right now she couldn't.

Pretty soon, Inuyasha, Kirara, Rin, and Ah-Un stopped in their tracks and started growling, their eyes scanning the area. "Something wrong?" Sango asked.

From out of nowhere a blue oni dropped in front of them. It was easily three or four times larger than any of them and carried a spear with a spearhead on each end like a naginata. It had two horns but the left one seemed to be broken off. Like all the oni they had encountered before, it didn't look friendly. Kagome sensed no shards and told them all that. Inuyasha got her off his back and swung at the oni with Tetsusaiga.

The spear actually blocked the blade, much like Miroku's shakujo could. Inuyasha was repelled and flew back some meters. Sango threw her hiraikotsu, but the spear deflected it. Rin tried to bite it, but the venom seemed to have no effect on the large youkai. Miroku's ofudas seemed to be the only thing that actually hurt the beast, but it still didn't die.

Inuyasha warned Rin to get out of the way, and she obeyed. He then turned his sword into the Diamond Tetsusaiga and got ready to use the Kongousouha. The oni then spotted Shippou and grabbed him right off Kirara before anyone could stop it. It held the kitsune in front of it and licked it's lips, obviously wanting to eat him. This stopped Inuyasha from attacking.

Kagome mentally snapped at seeing Shippou endangered like this. Without thinking, she screamed "Let go off my son!" then pounced and shouted "Sankon Tessou!" Her claws left white streaks in the air and made contact with the oni's forearm. Her attack cut deep and the oni reflexively released his captive. Shippou scampered away as quick as he could, not stopping until he was behind Inuyasha. Kagome tried attacking again, but the oni grabbed her in it's other hand and squeezed her hard. She screamed as she was being crushed.

Everyone tried attacking the oni at once except for Shippou and Reiko. The wolf hanyou, no longer riding Rin, was very frightened and curled up into herself. Shippou decided to comfort her as best he could. He figured that since she was going to be with them for some time, they should be friends.

Everyone attacked as best they could without hurting Kagome, but still couldn't do much damage to their target. This was no ordinary oni. As Inuyasha readied to strike again, the oni's hand holding Kagome burst into several bloody pieces. Kagome fell down and landed on her feet, her hair covering her face. She turned to face the oni again and pounced, claws ready to shed blood. Without saying a word, she tore right through the oni's shoulder, tearing off it's arm. It bellowed and tried to retreat, but it seemed Kagome wouldn't let it. She jumped at it and tore up it's back. It fell to the ground and Kagome thrust her claws through the back of it's neck.

Like when Rin fought earlier that day, everyone saw this with disbelief and amazement. This was so unlike Kagome; it was almost as if she couldn't control herself. When Inuyasha thought this, he gasped silently and slowly approached her.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha called out, hoping to get her attention away from what she was doing.

Kagome's ears perked and she turned to face him. Everyone gasped as they saw her face. Her eyes were blood red and her pupils were blue slits. She also had a jagged purple stripe on each cheek and more pronounced fangs. Her expression was a mixture of anger and fear.

"Inuyasha... what's happening to me? I... I feel like I want... to kill just because I can." She asked, sounding gruff yet frightened. She then looked at her bloodstained claws, and looked sickened at the sight.

"Your.. inner youkai was released." Inuyasha cautiously told her. 'Heh. Her first day of being a hanyou and this has to happen? This is just fucking great.' He sarcastically thought to himself as he held out his sword in it's normal form. "Here. Hold Tetsusaiga. It should work for you."

Kagome tenderly touched the hilt of the youkai blade. Once she did, her youkai features vanished and she returned to being a hanyou. She sighed with relief as she clutched the sword closer and shed a few tears, worried sick over what had happened. Inuyasha then held her in his arms to pacify her.

Not quite dead yet, the blue oni tried to get back up. Sango quickly threw her hiraikotsu at it, which struck the neck wound and cut it's head off. It was as good as dead now. With the threat gone, everyone decided to check on Kagome. Miroku and Sango got off Kirara and Rin returned to her human form. With their own way of addressing her, everyone virtually asked the same thing: "Are you alright now?"

It took a while for Kagome to answer. "I am now, but that was... disturbing." She then looked at Inuyasha, who had a lot of concern in his eyes. 'Is that how he feels when he transforms?'

Shippou then tugged her leggings to get her attention. "Thanks for rescueing me, Kagome-chan."

She smiled and bent down to pick him up. "You're welcome Shippou-chan. I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. Especially some ugly oni like that."

Shippou started to blush a little. "Umm... Kagome-chan, what did you mean when you said 'Let go of my son'?"

Kagome blinked a little, surprised she had said that but not regretting it. "Well, Shippou-chan, you're kind of like a son to me. You have been for quite some time now."

Shippou was surprised and pleased. It was obvious to everyone that the young kitsune youkai regarded Kagome as an adoptive mother, and by default Inuyasha like an adoptive father. After all, he met them after he was orphaned and instinct made him imprint on them as new caregivers, like parents. For a while he had wanted to call them his parents, but feared they would reject him. So he decided to wait and see how they thought of him without actually being asked.

"I... I'm... like a son to you? Really?" Hope was easy to hear growing in the kit's voice.

Kagome nodded. "Yep. If you want, you can call me Okaa now, as long as you call Inuyasha Otou too."

Shippou turned to the male hanyou. "Inuyasha's more of an Oyaji than an Otou."

Inuyasha growled and clenched his fist. He was about to strike the kitsune, but remembered that Kagome told him to stop that. And with her right there and still disturbed from transforming, he managed to control himself, albeit barely.

"Be nice Shippou-chan. My future mate will be your Otou, not Oyaji." Kagome firmly told the boy in her arms, confirming everyones beliefs that the two would become mates one day.

Shippou shot Inuyasha a glare that clearly meant 'Be nice to me if you want me to be nice to you.' Inuyasha responded with a look that meant 'Stop irritating me so much then.' Kagome saw this and hoped things would work out between them.

Reiko watched all this with some confusion mostly because she was so uninformed on everything. She was surprised that Inuyasha and Kagome were so willing to take in a stray child and call it their own. This gave her a bit of hope since her own imprinting instincts were starting to select them as new primary caretakers. This was most likely because they were hanyou like her and had saved her life. Although she knew she didn't know them well enough to be comfortable calling them parents yet, she couldn't help but hope for the day she could.

Miroku finished putting ofudas on the oni's corpse to pacify it's soul and joined the others. "Kagome-sama, you probably should have Toutousai-san provide you with a seal like Tetsusaiga as soon as possible."

"I was thinking that myself earlier." Kagome told him. "I think I'll need it before we get into any more fights."

"I'll go see him later, after I get you to the other side of the well." Inuyasha told her.

Kagome smiled and leaned in to give him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." She said quietly. Then she turned to the rest. "We should probably get going."

Everyone got ready to leave and traveled just like they had before. Only this time, Shippou was riding Rin's dog form to keep Reiko company. The wolf hanyou seemed more relaxed with him next to her.

--

The sun was almost down, and Kagura found it difficult to move. She had spent most of the afternoon trying to find some way to get Naraku's miasma out of her body before it killed her. But it had been in vain, and now she was grounded with no way to get help. She found it ironic that now she had the freedom to go anywhere she wanted but not the ability. She'd laugh if she could bring herself to.

So now she just sat there, waiting for it all to be over with. She didn't regret standing up to Naraku; his plan for Kagome just plain disgusted her. But she wished that fate had been a little kinder to her. She was born as a servant, she lived as a servant, and she was about to die a rebel. Not quite what she wanted, but she knew no one was born into the life they wanted to live if they could choose.

A shadow appeared on her, and the wind witch looked up to see what caused it. She smiled weakly when she saw it was Sesshoumaru. She had a bit of an infatuation for the taiyoukai, and was glad that he was the last thing she would see.

"What are you doing here?" Sesshoumaru stoically asked. He had lost the trail of the saimyosho and happened to stumble upon her, wondering why she smelled of death.

"Naraku has no more use for me, so he sent me out to die." Kagura answered. The miasma started to get a little stronger, and she spasmed from it poisoning her.

"Then you wouldn't mind telling me where he is." Sesshoumaru replied.

Kagura snorted. "He's..." She couldn't finish since her heart suddenly felt like a vice grip was on it and she clutched her chest in pain, moaning.

Sesshoumaru saw she wouldn't live long enough to tell him what he wanted to know, so he pulled out Tenseiga. He pointed the sword at her, expecting a blueish glow on the blade when it got ready to revive someone, but it didn't come. At first he figured it was because she was still alive, but then realized it was because of Naraku's miasma. Kagura was filled with it, and Tenseiga wouldn't revive something so seeped in evil.

About to let her die, Sesshoumaru thought about something else. Tenseiga could do more than just revive the dead, it could also heal many ailments. It gave Rin her voice back, it allowed Jaken to be put back in one piece, and it kept him safe from the kaze no kizu. He also suspected it would someday let him get his severed arm back. So maybe the great sword of healing could still help her.

Deciding to test his theory, Sesshoumaru swung his heirloom sword at Naraku's most rebellious spawn. She felt no damage, since the sword couldn't cut the living. But Kagura felt something still. She almost swore she could feel the miasma being cancelled out. After a few breaths, her chest didn't hurt and she could breath without trouble.

Kagura stood up, amazed she was fine now. She saw the sun disappear below the horizon, and somehow knew she was safe now. She looked at Sesshoumaru in amazement and awe. "Th... thank you. Why'd you help me?"

"Would you rather I didn't?" The taiyoukai asked back as he sheathed his sword.

"No. I'm just wondering why." Kagura replied.

"You shall tell me where Naraku is hiding and what his weakness is." Sesshoumaru told her. His tone of voice was the same as always, but it was clear he wasn't asking.

"Heh. I had a feeling that was it." Kagura stated as she smoothed her kimono.

--

When Inuyasha's group made it to Kaede's village, the two teenage hanyous went right to the Bone-Eater's Well. They would have stopped at Kaede's to say 'hi' and tell her what happened, but Kagome felt that if they did that they'd have no time to go to the modern era that night. And that was where she really wanted to be right now.

The two went through the well while the rest went to the elderly miko's hut. Kaede was surprised to see them without Kagome and Inuyasha, and was surprised to see Reiko and Rin, since they were both new to her and she had not expected that. She was especially surprised to hear that Kagome was an inu-hanyou and that her fears on what had happened to her were true. Today was simply too full of shocks for the old woman.

Everyone was eating dinner, and Kaede was drinking some tea to calm her nerves. "This is all so unusual. To hear that all this has happened in only two days is... overwhelming."

"It has been hectic, hasn't it?" Miroku commented rhetorically.

"By the way, Kikyou-onee-sama showed up and offered me these for ye all." Kaede reached into a pocket and pulled out two shikon shards. "I'm not sure how she got them, but she said you'd be glad to have them."

Sango accepted them. "Two shards from Kikyou, huh? I bet I know where she got them."

"Where?" Shippou asked naively.

"I bet after she pinned Kouga to that tree, she removed his shards." The taijiya explained. "It's kind of odd that she would hand them over, though."

"She said she did it because she believed it would make Kagome-chan and Inuyasha feel better." Kaede added.

"That still sounds a little odd to me." Sango said to herself. She never had that much of a positive opinion of the undead miko, mainly because her involvement in Inuyasha's life hurt Kagome so many times.

Shippou turned to Reiko, who had remained quiet this whole time. "Something wrong Reiko?"

She shook her head, her ears drooping. "No. I just don't know what to do." She was still nervous about being around a houshi and a taijiya, and now a miko, but no older hanyous. The only ones that made her feel a little at ease where Shippou and Rin, who was asleep curled up in a corner of the hut. All that running had tired her out.

Shippou could sense her nervousness. "No one's going to hurt you. If they didn't like hanyous, they wouldn't be around Kagome-chan and Inuyasha, right?" He chose to use their names for her sake instead of Okaa and Otou.

"I guess." Reiko quietly said, then looked at Miroku and Sango. Both gave her nonthreatening looks, ones that held more acceptance that suspicion. But she was still nervous. She hadn't been around them for even a full day and her defensive instincts weren't going to give in yet.

"Give them a chance. You may grow to like them." Shippou whispered in the wolf hanyou's ear.

She took a bite of rice, and kept quiet while conversation picked up again on a different topic.

--

Kagome and Inuyasha got out of the well house and saw the Higurashi Shrine. The lights were on in the kitchen, revealing the family was home, and Kagome's nose told her they were having dinner. "Whatever they're having sure smell good." She commented, enjoying how well her nose worked now.

"Well, let's go in and have some then." Inuyasha said, grabbing her hand.

Kagome put her own hand on the doorknob, but hesitated to enter. She knew the first thing she'd have to explain was her transformation, because it was so obvious. She also wanted to speak about her decisions to be with Inuyasha and other things too, but worried how they would handle that. She didn't plan on saying a word on her rape until she was alone with her mother.

"Is something wrong?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm... I'm scared. What if they don't like what I have to say? I thought I could handle it, but now that I'm actually here, I'm not so sure." As she said this, she reflexively started to back away.

Inuyasha put his arms around her to prevent her from leaving. "I'm here to help. Everything will be fine. and if not, then at least you tried."

She practically melted into his arms. "Thank you Inuyasha. I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too. And so does everyone inside. Let's go see them." He told her, finding it much easier to say those three little words now and glad about that.

"Alright." she then left his embrace and prepared to open the door again. "Oh, Inuyasha, please don't mention what _he_ did. Leave that part to me." He nodded.

They opened the back door and walked up to the dining room. They heard and smelled everyone before they saw them, mostly because the shoji to the room was closed.

"Mama, I'm back." Kagome called before approaching the screen, slightly delaying the inevitable.

"Oh, Kagome! It's good you're back. We made your favorite, oden." Mama Higurashi called back.

Kagome took a deep breath before putting a hand on the door, careful not to tear it with her claws. "Everyone, I've got a big surprise for you. Please don't be too shocked."

There was a momentarily hushed silence. "Please come in, Kagome." Mama said to her daughter.

Kagome took a deep breath again to calm herself and opened the shoji. At first, Mama, Jii-chan, and Souta just saw she was wearing a red kimono instead of her school uniform. No real shocker there. But when they looked up, they could see, plain as day, two black dog ears on top of Kagome's head. She flexed them to ensure everyone saw them and to prove they were real. The ears drew so much attention that no one noticed she had claws and her eyes were amber like Inuyasha's.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Souta stated, feeling excited.

"Oh my. This _is_ surprising." Mama calmly stated.

Jii-chan just sat there with a dropped jaw, looking like he was about to fall backwards out of his chair. Inuyasha looked to see what there was to eat, and after seeing nothing he wanted chose to stay right beside Kagome.

"Yes, I'm an inu-hanyou now." Kagome said, confirming what everyone was thinking.

"Can I become one?" Souta hopefully asked.

"I don't think so Souta." Mama and Kagome said in unison.

"H... how could this have happened?" Jii-chan finally managed to ask.

Kagome cleared her throat. "Yesterday, I was... cursed... by Naraku to turn into a youkai." She had already told them all about Naraku so she didn't need to clarify. "The change was unavoidable, so Inuyasha helped me become one I could handle being."

Jii-chan looked at Inuyasha angrily. "_You_ did this to her?"

Inuyasha looked spurned. Kagome looked directly at her grandfather firmly. "No, Jii-chan, _Naraku _was the one who cursed me. He wanted me to become a wolf, but thanks to Inuyasha here, I'm a dog instead."

"Why would Naraku want you to become a wolf?" Souta asked as he ate some more oden.

Kagome looked downward. "I'll... explain later."

Jii-chan got up, looking flustered. "I can't believe this! I'm going to check my old scrolls and books. I'm sure that one can tell us how to get Kagome back to normal."

"No, Jii-chan, you can't do that." Kagome calmly said. "The only way we know how to change me is with the jewel, and to be honest, I'm not sure I want that to happen." This caught everyone's attention.

"But Kagome, how can you go to school if you don't?" Mama asked. School was out now and most were getting ready for it to start in a few weeks. Kagome had managed to take the high school entrance exams and was accepted in, mostly because they had extra room. Basically she was the student equivalent of a seat-filler, but now it seemed she wouldn't be able to be even that.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't go to school anymore. I'm amazed I didn't have to repeat last year as it is. I'm thinking I should settle down in the feudal era where I don't have to hide and..." Kagome tried to explain.

"UNACCEPTABLE!" Jii-chan practically shouted, cutting his granddaughter off. "Kagome, your life is here in this time. I've been letting you go back to the feudal era because I thought it would help you for when you took over the shrine. But you cannot _live_ there!"

Kagome began to quietly growl. "And why not Jii-chan? That time is my home too as much as this one if not more. And I've been telling you since I was a kid that I don't want to take over the shrine."

"It doesn't matter. You are the first born of a shrine family and the one amongst us with the most spiritual power and experience. It is your duty. All we need to do is make you human again."

Kagome snarled, making everyone jump in their seat a little. "My duty? _I _choose my life, Jii-chan! And I choose a life with Inuyasha as my mate in the feudal era. And you can't stop me." She then put a hand on Tetsusaiga, afraid her anger would trigger another transformation.

Jii-chan looked at Kagome like she had just sprouted a tail. "Mate?"

"Congratulations! I had a feeling about you two." Mama exclaimed, correctly guessing what her daughter meant. She wanted to talk to her about it later when things calmed down.

"Thanks Mama. That makes me feel a little better." Kagome said, releasing Tetsusaiga.

"I forbid it Kagome!" Jii-chan shouted, looking very peeved. "You will bring great dishonor to our family by marrying that hanyou."

"Jii-chan, years ago you said I was bringing dishonor because I couldn't remember the story of Urashimataro." Kagome countered while rolling her eyes.

"And you still will if you marry that beast." Grandpa said rather cruelly.

Everyone gasped at this. Inuyasha was doing his absolute hardest to restrain himself. Kagome meanwhile clutched her fists hard enough that her claws were drawing blood and bared her fangs. "Jii-chan, you better take that back. I've just been through something really, really, _really _bad. Something much worse than becoming part youkai. And I really don't need this kind of attitude right now!"

Jii-chan scoffed and crossed his arms. "What could possibly be worse than becoming a monster?"

Kagome pounded the table with her fists, shattering it but too angry to notice or care. "I WAS RAPED! THAT WORSE ENOUGH FOR YOU?" She then turned away and ran up to her room, crying heavily. Inuyasha shot the old man a glare that _would _kill if looks could, then swiftly followed Kagome.

"Kami-sama!" Mama quietly said, her hands covering her mouth. After what she just heard her daughter shout, the mess at her feet seemed too insignificant. Souta didn't understand what Kagome had screamed, but could tell from her tone of voice and body language that it wasn't good in any way.

Jii-chan managed to sit back down and face his daughter and grandson. He no longer looked angry, more completely taken by surprise. "Did... Kagome just... say what I... think she said?"

"Yes Jii-chan, she did." Mama said, giving him an upset look too as she started to stand. "Jii-chan, let _me _handle this situation. I don't want to see Kagome or Inuyasha use their claws on you." She then went upstairs.

Feeling uncomfortable and unable to eat, Souta went up to his room. Jii-chan Higurashi was left alone in the dining room to wonder just how bad of a mess he had just made.


	5. Admitted

Chapter 5:Admitted

Jii-chan and Mama Higurashi sat in the living room, nervously waiting for either Inuyasha or Kagome to come to them. Once they went up to her room last night, neither would talk to anyone else or leave. They had locked the door, and the only thing that told anyone they were still there was the sounds of Kagome crying all night.

Souta had wisely or cowardly, however you choose to view it, already left earlier for soccer practice, leaving just the two adults to handle the upset and offended hanyous. They all knew what a hanyou could do with their claws when angry; they all had seen it and heard about it. If Inuyasha or Kagome were angry enough, they could destroy the whole estate. Everything and every_one_ in it. While they hoped the two teens wouldn't use their claws, they knew that at least a few harsh things were going to be said. Mama didn't know what would hurt more: her daughter's new claws or her furious outbursts.

A knock was heard at the front door, and Mama got up to answer it, thankful for the momentary distraction from her worries. She opened it and saw Ayumi, one of Kagome's school friends. "Hello, Higurashi-san. How's Kagome-chan today?"

"She's... umm... not so good today." Mama asked as best she could. She was surprised that one of Kagome's friends actually came by to see her. Usually they stayed away, afraid they might catch whatever alleged illness she had at the time.

"Dang. Me and the others were going out to get stuff for when school starts and I was hoping she could come along." Ayumi commented.

Mama shook her head. "Sorry. Kagome's... in no mood for that today." Then she added to herself, 'And I doubt she's interested, since she's not able to go to school anymore.'

Ayumi arched an eyebrow. "So what's the excuse this time? Broken leg? Appendicitis? Chronic itch? Alzheimer's?" She sounded very sceptical as she said this, as if she was expecting a lie.

Mama jolted her head back in amazement at the girl's tone of voice. "What do you mean by that?" She asked like a stern parent trying to get info out of their child.

"Come on Higurashi-san, don't lie to me. I know that all of Kagome-chan's 'illnesses'..." She actually made quotation gestures with her fingers at the word. "...are lies. It's kind of easy to figure out, especially after the '24 hour case of smallpox' excuse awhile ago. I'm not stupid. And she was much too active for rheumatism."

Mama gave the young girl an incredulous look, surprised yet again by her. Ayumi sighed then continued. "I'm sure you all have a reason for what you're doing, but as Kagome-chan's friend I feel I have a right to know why she's skipping school so much." She had been wanting to know this since the winter break, but hoped that her friend would tell her herself. Since it didn't seem likely, Ayumi decided to simply ask.

Mama crossed her arms. "Sorry, but it's a private matter for our family and it's on a need-to-know basis. And as Kagome's mother, I feel you don't need to know."

Ayumi was a little jested at hearing this, but decided not to argue further. It seemed rather pointless. She heard footsteps behind Mama and curiously looked to see who was walking around. It was Inuyasha, and he didn't look happy. Ayumi smiled and waved. "Hi Inuyasha. Long time no see."

Inuyasha saw the girl and quickly recognized her as one of the girls Kagome knew here and who met him back in her room a few months ago. He then realized that his ears weren't covered and she could plainly see them. He struggled to come up with some excuse to fool the girl, but he failed.

Ayumi acted like nothing was wrong. "How are you? Hope you and Kagome-chan are getting along." Everybody stared at her wide-eyed, amazed that she wasn't reacting to seeing Inuyasha's ears. She saw their faces. "Is something wrong?"

"This... doesn't bother you?" Mama asked, clearly referencing Inuyasha's ears.

Ayumi shrugged. "Why would it? It's not like I've never seen a hanyou before, and I did figure out that he was one awhile ago."

It seemed this girl just could not stop surprising them today. "What?" They all asked her.

Ayumi nodded. "Yeah. It wasn't hard. The name was a bit of a giveaway, and the way Kagome-chan described him reminded me of several hanyous I know. And that time I saw him at the cultural festival confirmed it to me."

"You know other hanyous?" Mama asked. She started to feel she needed to sit down.

Ayumi nodded. "Yeah. What? Did you actually think that Inuyasha was the only hanyou alive?"

"In this time, yes." Jii-chan told her.

Ayumi chuckled and shook her head. "Well, you're wrong. In fact, several people back in school were hanyou and a few were youkai too. Both students and staff."

"But how...?" Mama started to ask.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome's voice could softly be heard from up the stairs, causing Inuyasha's ears to perk up.

"Now I remember why I came down here. Kagome wants to talk to you." The male hanyou told the Higurashi matriarch, before turning to Jii-chan. "And _I_ have a few things to say to you, old man."

Ayumi could tell this was another need-to-know situation that she had no business in. "Well, if Kagome-chan can't come, I guess I better get going."

"Wait." Mama told the wavy-haired girl. "If you don't mind, would you come back when you're done? I'm sure Kagome would like to see you and I have some more questions. Just don't make a fuss about how she looks."

Ayumi smirked. "Sure. But I'll only tell you what I know if you tell me what I want to know."

Mama sighed hesitantly at the ultimatum. "Fine."

"And why would I make a fuss over how she looks? What's different?" Ayumi asked. Nobody had the guts to tell her, and she felt a little annoyed by that. "Fine. I guess I'll just find out later. Bye." With that, Ayumi left. Mama then went upstairs to her daughter's room. Inuyasha stood before Jii-chan with his arms crossed and his faced marred with a frown.

Both adult Higurashi's were nervous and didn't know what to expect.

--

Lying on her bed, Kagome heard a knock. Her nose told her it wasn't Inuyasha, so she didn't rush to open the door. "Kagome? It's me." Mama was heard saying. Kagome then unlocked the door and went back onto her bed before Mama entered. Mama sat down on the bed and held her daughter in her arms as best she could. It was a lot like how Inuyasha held her, but the scent and heartbeat were completely different. Mama couldn't help but feel one of Kagome's ears, who smiled as she felt them being rubbed.

Neither of them wanted to talk right away. Mama just wanted to comfort her daughter and Kagome just wanted to be comforted. As she sat there she fiddled with Inuyasha's beads in her hands. Last night she accidentally said 'sit' and felt horribly guilty. Vowing never to do it again, she removed the beads, feeling it was hard for Inuyasha to really love her if she kept controlling him like that.

Deciding not to ignore it any longer, Mama brought up the topic both were here to discuss. "Kagome, were you really... raped?"

Kagome sniffled. "What woman would lie about that?"

"I don't know. Can you... talk about it?"

Kagome took a deep breath. "It was... the day before yesterday. We were in a forest looking for Naraku when it got really foggy. We all got separated because of it; I think the fog was spelled to make that happen to us. It wouldn't be the first time. For me, Naraku showed up and beat me up then threw some powder on me. That's why I'm a hanyou now."

Mama nodded slowly in understanding, then Kagome continued. "Anyway, when he was done, I was... lying down on the ground, barely able to move without aching. Naraku vanished, and... _he_ appeared. Then he... you know." She suddenly didn't want to say more.

"Who was it?" Mama quietly asked.

"A wolf youkai. The same one I've told you about before, the one that always wanted to take me away from Inuyasha."

"...Kouga?" Mama asked when the name came to her.

Kagome growled a little at hearing his name. "Yes, _him_. I got away thanks to an ambusher, and Inuyasha found me shortly after. He helped me in every way I wanted to be helped and still is."

"He would. He does love you after all." Mama said reassuringly, patting her daughter's shoulder. She may not see the male hanyou as much as the rest, but what she did see told her he greatly cared for Kagome and was viciously protective of her. An incident like this would probably make Inuyasha bloodthirsty, and Mama wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Inuyasha had already killed Kagomer's molester.

"I know, and I love him. And we'll be together whether Jii-chan likes it or not. Please don't try to stop me too Mama." Kagome replied.

"I won't. I always thought you two were a cute couple and would work it out. But Kagome, you are still young and have your whole life ahead of you. I just don't want you to rush into things. After all, you still have high school and everything."

"Mama, look at me." Kagome said, twitching her ears. "I can't go to school looking like this. I can't get away with wearing a hat or bandanna all the time."

"Actually, you won't need to." Mama countered. "Your friend Ayumi-chan was here earlier, and she said several people at your middle school were hanyou or youkai." Kagome's eyes widened. "I'm surprised too. But that means that youkai are capable of looking human in public."

Kagome adverted her eyes downward as she thought about this. 'Youkai alive in this time? Well, considering that noh mask and the tatari-mokke, I shouldn't be too surprised. But Ayumi-chan knowing all about it? That's really odd, but... maybe now I won't have to lie to her anymore.'

"So you see, you don't have to give up your life here." Mama added.

Kagome sighed, well aware of what her mother was trying to say. "Mama, I still intend to visit once in a while, but... I'm not giving up the feudal era. I still have things to do there, and when I'm done, I may stay there."

"I know you still have things to do there Kagome, but why would you want to live there?"

"Because... it feels more like home to me than this time does. I'm sorry, but it's true. I like it there and I'm not giving it up. Plus... I kind of have a son there now and I can't abandon him."

"S... son?" Mama asked, ready to faint. She was simply taking too many surprising revelations in today.

"He's adopted Mama." Kagome quickly told her. "He's Shippou-chan, the young kitsune-youkai always with us. Remember I've told you about him? Well, he wants to call me Okaa now so he's kind of my son."

Mama looked better, but still shell shocked. She was officially at her threshold for handling surprises today and could not handle any more. "Kagome, since you were... violated, we should get you a pregnancy test in a month or so." The thought of Kagome already having kids while barely 16 scared her.

Kagome silently gasped. She had been so disturbed by what Kouga had done to her she forgot about the idea of getting pregnant. The idea scared her too, mostly because she worried it would encourage the wolf youkai to keep trying to claim her. She also didn't like the idea of carrying any child Inuyasha didn't father. She later managed to nod.

Mama worried for her daughter more. She had just been through something traumatic and had her whole body changed into something else. She knew her daughter wanted some support and stability now, and was getting it from Inuyasha. Being with Inuyasha was the only place she would want to be for quite a while. So she would surely stay where she felt most comfortable, which was with Inuyasha in the feudal era.

And Mama knew she couldn't stop it. Nobody could stop Kagome or Inuyasha from using the well, and they'd be foolish to try. If Kagome chose to live in the feudal era, no one could prevent her, even if she was still human. So all Mama could do was what she had been doing since her daughter started her quest: Let it happen and accept it. But that didn't mean she couldn't do anything about it.

"Kagome, I won't try to prevent you from being with Inuyasha, but I have some stipulations. First, I would prefer that you two don't get married any earlier than your 17th birthday." Mama told her daughter, who gave her a questioning look. "That way I know you're not rushing into it. Also, even if you don't go to school anymore, I want you to still come back here at least once a month so we know you're okay."

Mama began to realize that even if Kagome tried to have a life in this time, she simply couldn't. She had done and seen too much to relate to anyone or feel normal again. And even if she disguised herself, modern youkai who knew her as a human wouldn't leave her alone as a hanyou. So this seemed to be the best option for her. She at least wasn't going to demand her daughter stay celibate, mostly because that would be a rule she couldn't enforce. Also, she felt Kagome wouldn't be in a hurry to have sex anytime soon.

"Fine Mama, and thanks. After last night, I needed to hear some friendly words from a relative." Kagome replied, glad her mother wasn't going to fight her decisions like her grandfather did.

"C'mon, let's go downstairs and straighten things out with your grandfather, if Inuyasha left anything to talk to. " Mama said jokingly. Kagome snickered, straightened out her kimono, and got up to go downstairs.

--

The whole time Kagome talked to her mom, Inuyasha had his own little discussion of his own.

"Why did you do it old man? What the hell were you thinking?" Inuyasha gave Jii-chan a chance to answer, but he didn't. "Why did you make her feel like a disgrace? She didn't deserve that. She didn't ask to be cursed. Or for anything that happened that awful day." Inuyasha then took a seat across from the old man before continuing. "What you did last night was uncalled for."

Jii-chan was scared out of his wits, practically sweating bullets. Inuyasha could kill him at any moment if he chose, and odds were his ofudas wouldn't be enough to protect him even a little bit. Most likely Kagome had asked him not to, but he couldn't depend on that. There was a long pause between them, but, unable to form words, he let the male hanyou keep talking.

"I've been exposed to that kind of hatred all my life and I'm not exaggerating. I had hoped to spare Kagome from that, since I couldn't save her from... the other thing." Inuyasha sighed. "I know I'm just a worthless hanyou who doesn't deserve her affection, but... somehow, in spite of every reason she has not to give it to me, I have it. And I am truly grateful for that. And I will do everything in my power to make her happy. _No one _gets away with hurting Kagome. Not Naraku, not Kouga, not even you."

Jii-chan got tense, and saw he had an opportunity to talk now. "I... understand. I cannot excuse my behavior last night. I can only say that I didn't see it coming and didn't want to believe it. I had hopes for Kagome, unrealistic hopes it appears, that went up in smoke last night and I guess I was in denial. So... if Kagome has made up her mind on what she wants, I will be happy for her." He sagged his head a little.

Inuyasha tilted his head, still looking irritated, and scoffed. "You sure didn't seem happy for her last night. Irregardless of what you assumed, Kagome's change was undesired and irreversible. All I did was give her what she asked for, and I still will."

"Will you and her... really live in the feudal era from now on?" Jii-chan asked, still ashamed of himself and afraid for his life.

"Kagome says that is what she wants, and I will help her do that. I won't keep her away from you all, because she needs comfort and love from everyone she can get it from now. I'm not the 'beast' you think I am. Understand that she isn't cutting off this time entirely, just calling a different one 'home'. Of course, if you do something like that again, she might do just that." Inuyasha still scowled, but looked a little calmer.

"Now that I think about it, Kagome would rather live there than here. Whenever she describes that era, she always seems so... at peace. Like she was meant to be there." Jii-chan commented.

Inuyasha didn't say anything for a moment, not sure what else to say. He wasn't that good at talking to people, usually just saying what he felt had to be told when he had to say anything. Thus he was usually viewed as rude and crass, and even he was amazed at how he sounded just then. He figured it was mostly because he barely slept last night, mostly going over in his mind what he wanted to say, which he didn't do often.

"What about... what Kagome screamed last night?" Jii-chan cautiously asked.

Inuyasha knew what he meant. "I think it might be better if she explain that to you. All I'll say is that it was no lie, and it happened before she changed."

Jii-chan swallowed, worried for his granddaughter's sake. All the time she had been traveling around the feudal era, he had confidence that she could handle all the threats she faced. But this was different, and he never would have predicted it. He realized he should have warned her of it, since rape was more common in that time than now.

Inuyasha stayed quiet for a bit more again. Then he turned his head towards the stairs and sniffed. "Kagome will be coming down shortly. I'll let her say what she has to." He rose from the chair and pointed at Jii-chan. "Old man, don't think that just because I haven't wounded you that you are off the hook."

Jii-chan nervously nodded.

In a few moments, Kagome could be seen coming down the stairs with her mom in front of her. She shot her grandfather a look that clearly said 'I'm still mad at you, but I'll give you a chance to apologize.' Jii-chan nervously approached her, keeping his head low.

"Kagome, I am deeply sorry for offending you last night. What you said was a big surprise and I didn't know how to handle it. I was in denial, but that doesn't excuse my behavior."

"No, it doesn't." Kagome replied, surprisingly with nonchalance.

Jii-chan then cleared his throat, wanting to make sure he didn't mess this up. "Anyway, if you have accepted this form as your own, then you should keep it. It was wrong of me to make you feel ashamed of yourself for being a victim. Especially after what you shouted. Is it... true?" Even though Inuyasha told him it was, he still felt he had to actually ask her.

"Yes. It happened before I changed. It was a wolf youkai who did it." Kagome sadly answered.

Jii-chan's eyes widened. "A youkai... violated you?"

Kagome looked at the floor. "Unfortunately, yes. He's been sealed to a tree, so he's not going to be a problem anytime soon."

Jii-chan relaxed a little, but not much. "Well, that's good. So, Kagome, am I... forgiven." He asked like he felt he didn't deserve it, which was exactly how he felt.

Kagome looked back up. "Yes, as long as you never do anything like that again, to me or Inuyasha." With that, everyone felt better. She was still a little upset, but wouldn't hold it against him since he apologized. "Mama, is there any oden left? I'm hungry."

"Sorry dear, but last night you spilled all the oden. Along with the table it was on." Mama answered.

"Sorry."

--

At noon everyone had settled down like a huge weight had been lifted. Souta returned when practice was over, and he was glad to see no one was at anyone's throats, literally and figuratively. Mama was cleaning the dishes and about to go get a new table. Jii-chan tended to some customers, since before the school year was a busy time for the shrine. Kagome and Inuyasha were up in her room so they'd have privacy. They locked the door since Souta didn't always knock.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome nervously started, finding it hard to bring up the subject she wanted to. "After what happened, do you think I might be... p... pregnant?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the implication. "Not likely. Sure, you were in heat that day, which I think is part of why he did what he did, but you still smell in heat, so it's unlikely you've been pupped."

Kagome was very relieved to hear that. "But... what if I am? It may be unlikely, but it is possible." She remembered that Kouga never managed to reach his climax, but from what she remembered in her sex ed classes, that wasn't always necessary for conception.

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "If you are, then I'll help you raise the pup. Sure, it may be his, but it'll need someone to raise it. And with you as the mother the pup might not end up like that mangy wolf."

Kagome was shocked. She half-expected him to say to get rid of the child because it came from Kouga. But then she realized that the child would be a hanyou, and Inuyasha saw it like he saw all hanyous, a living creature that still deserved a home like all others. No matter where it came from, he wouldn't turn a child into an outcast just because of it's heritage. That had happened to him, and it wouldn't let it happen to others. And he was willing to take over the role as father, like with Shippou.

Kagome shed a tear of happiness. "Thank you Inuyasha. While I hope I'm not pregnant, I'm glad you're willing to help me if I am." She then remembered Reiko, who also was without family. If they were going to raise Shippou and maybe Kouga's pup as their own, it didn't seem fair that they wouldn't do the same for her. "Inuyasha, do you think we should take in Reiko-chan too?"

Inuyasha had been wondering that ever since the wolf hanyou had decided to stick with them. He figured she would imprint on them like Shippou had and want them as her adoptive parents too. "Let's give her a chance to get comfortable around us. Then we'll talk to her about it. Although Shippou might be jealous."

"Why?"

"He's been around us for about a year and now you're letting him call you his mother. Imagine how he'd feel if you go right up to a new girl within the first week or so and do the same."

Kagome saw his point. "Okay, we'll watch over her, but won't have her be our daughter until we're sure she wants that and Shippou-chan can handle her like a sibling. That shouldn't be hard, since it looks like they're becoming friends anyway."

"He probably enjoys having someone close to his own age around, instead of just adults." Kagome nodded. "I have a feeling he'll think of her as a sister, since he knows you and most likely believes you'll take her in."

"At least with us she'll be away from wolves who don't respect women." Kagome added, some resentment noticeable in her voice.

Inuyasha nodded. "Wolf youkai aren't exactly the kindest to their women, from what I hear. I've heard some men have concubines as well as mates, and usually expect their women to accept it. I'm told that wolf women are raised to be what they feel men want out of them."

Kagome growled at hearing this chauvinistic behavior. This explained why there were no female youkai at Kouga's old cave. "I'm not letting Reiko-chan grow up under that kind of life." Just then she decided firmly that she would raise the wolf hanyou as her own daughter.

Inuyasha nodded. "Isn't it odd that we're not even mated yet and we already have two pups? And neither are ours by blood?" He seemed somewhat amused and disturbed at the same time.

Kagome scooted over closer to him. "Well, as soon as we mate, we can have our own pup together." She figured that by the time they were mates, raising Shippou and Reiko would make her ready to have her own.

Inuyasha was surprised. "Really?"

"Of course Inuyasha. Your pups are the only ones I'd _want _to carry, if I can. Didn't you want to have children with me?" Kagome responded, thinking momentarily about her possible pregnancy.

Inuyasha slowly nodded. "Yeah. I guess I wasn't so sure on how you felt."

Kagome kissed his cheek. "I love you Inuyasha. Of course I want to be with you and have a family with you."

Inuyasha felt a soft spot inside him he didn't even know existed be touched. Kagome wanted what no one ever wanted from him. His life, his happiness, his children, him. Everyone else wanted his death. The others in his group wanted his friendship, which he enjoyed, and Kikyou had wanted a version of him that was socially acceptable. But Kagome, what she wanted and was willing to give him, it touched the male hanyou deeply, making him almost shed a tear.

Inuyasha hugged her closely and stroked her back. "I love you, Kagome." Before now, he was still cautious about saying the words because he wasn't 100 percent sure they were the right ones to describe how he felt for her. Sure, he adored her and cared for her deeply, but love was too serious a word for him to use, it seemed. Now, he had absolutely no doubts in his mind, heart, and soul. He loved Kagome Higurashi.

Kagome relaxed in her loved one's embrace, feeling so comfortable that she could fall asleep. For now, for this one moment, it didn't matter that she wasn't a human anymore or had been hurt by Kouga. All that mattered was that she was with him, able to tell him how she felt, and able to hear it back. In an odd way, she was glad about how things had turned out for her.

--

Later in the afternoon, Ayumi returned to the shrine, done with her shopping and able to get away from Yuka and Eri. They were what she called Uninformed, and she felt they should stay that way for the time being. She was surprised to see Kagome as an inu-hanyou, but like with Inuyasha, she paid it no mind.

Ayumi insisted on being the first one to get answers. So they told her about what Kagome had been doing for the past year. She kind of found the idea of a time-traveling well hard to believe, but felt if they were lying they'd tell a better lie than that. She offered to help them get concealment spells so they could go out in public when in this time, but they didn't seem enthusiastic about it. Mama on the other hand was.

Ayumi was most shocked to hear about Naraku. She said that she knew about the evil poisonous hanyou from her history books, ones that told about youkai history that most people assumed were myths. She was amazed that they had been able to face Japan's most notorious inhabitant ever and lived, especially as a human for Kagome. She told them that according to the history books, Naraku was definitely killed about five centuries ago, which made the two hanyous feel confident. She didn't know what happened to the shikon no tama, only that it didn't exist anymore.

When she was satisfied, Ayumi answered their questions. She said that centuries ago, youkai and hanyous started to disguise themselves as humans to avoid those that wanted to kill them. As a result, youkai were still around with hanyous being more common and accepted, and a whole society existed hidden from ignorant humans. Statistically, one out of every 47 people who you saw on the street was a disguised hanyou, and one out of every 192 people was a full-blooded youkai. Several businesses in the world were owned and run by youkai, and many schools, hospitals, and places of government had youaki or hanyou working there. Even a few celebrities were of youkai lineage.

Since youkai weren't as common as they used to be, hanyous weren't hated by them anymore in the twentieth century. Hanyous were the best way for youkai bloodlines to survive nowadays. Ayumi was heard saying "Better diluted than extinct." Inuyasha and Kagome figured this was why once in a while they sensed youki in this era, albeit not as abundantly as in the feudal era.

Ayumi said that when youkai were doing this, most humans were clueless about it and started to believe that youkai were extinct or fictional. They were the vast majority of people in the world, which were dubbed the Uninformed since they didn't know how the world really worked.

However, two groups of humans found out about what youkai were doing. The first became known as the Hunters, modern day taijiya who were determined to make youkai extinct for real. Many reported serial killings and gangland executions were actually the work of Hunters. Ayumi heard a rumor that the Yakuza were actually a front for the Hunters, but couldn't confirm it.

The second group was the polar opposite. Instead of wanting youkai dead, they were people who wanted youkai to live and thrive. They were people who saw them as fellow sentient beings who had just as much right to live as them. So they were dedicated to helping youkai thwart the Hunters and someday not be forced to hide themselves 24-7. Hence the name the Aiders.

Ayumi's family had been part of the Aiders for four generations, and she was around hanyous as much as humans. She said that all Aiders were able to see past a concealment spell to see who was youkai and who wasn't. She offered the human Higurashi's the chance to become Aiders too. They wouldn't be expected to do anything except support the Aiders' cause and help out any youkai or hanyou that needed it. Mama said they'd think about it, but didn't seem opposed to it. After all, they practically were Aiders already when it came to Inuyasha.

Ayumi left for home after dinner, never being told about Kagome's rape. Kagome felt her friend shouldn't be troubled by that if she didn't have to be. Plus, Kagome had a hard time thinking of Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri as real friends now. Now that she could open up with Ayumi, she was more of a friend again, but Yuka and Eri weren't as much. Kagome had little in common with them, and was outgrowing them since they only cared about things she found frivolous nowadays. Kagome knew she was losing her childhood friends, but she felt the ones she had now in the feudal era were more important, like family even.

Inuyasha and Kagome stayed for a bit after dinner, but didn't stay all night. They gathered up a few more supplies, reassured everyone that Kagome would be safe and sound, then returned to the time and village that was like home to both of them.


	6. Agitated

Chapter 6:Agitated

It was now a month after what everyone started calling Kagome's 'incident'. One month Kouga had been pinned to a tree. One month Kagome had been a hanyou. One month since she and Inuyasha began courting each other.

Time seemed to drag on despite the changes to the group's norm. This was most likely due to inactivity. Nobody, not even Inuyasha, could bring themselves to insist or even suggest that they resume the search for Naraku. Not with Kagome being the wreck she was.

Kagome was definitely not the picture of happiness these past four weeks. Whenever she sat down, she still curled into a ball and whenever she slept, she still had nightmares. Most nightmares were really just unwanted memories of her 'incident', but a few times she saw herself as a human in a foggy forest trying to outrun a pack of cat-calling wolves. Luckily as a full-grown hanyou, she only had to sleep every other night, so sometimes she stayed up all night to avoid the nightmares.

The best thing that was helping Kagome was Inuyasha. As soon as they returned from the modern era, he immediately went to Toutousai to get her a seal made. Kagome stayed behind to help keep an eye on the kids and avoid the possibility of running into another threat that would trigger a transformation. The trip was short and he returned the next morning, but without Inuyasha around, Kagome refused to even try to go to sleep. He didn't bring anything back with him, since Toutousai said seals took a lot of time to properly make.

When Inuyasha returned, he asked Kagome where she would like a hut built so they could see what it was like living together. The best area was on the edge of the village next to the forest and not that far from the Goshinboku. It was enough to give them privacy without isolating themselves entirely. Reassured that this was what she truly wanted, Inuyasha began construction of a building with a main room and three smaller rooms should they need them later on.

Seeing Inuyasha do this made Miroku think about his own relationship. He confronted Sango to ensure that she still wanted to be with him. She said she did, but she wanted to make sure he could keep his hands to himself first and made him swear it. Miroku promised as best he could, but reminded her that old habits are hard to break even if you're trying. Resigned, Sango decided that if the best way to keep his hands off other women were to keep them on her, it was a small sacrifice. Just as long as he didn't start to think she would like it.

While the adults were doing their own things, the kids of the group tried doing their own too. Shippou tried to help Reiko get used to being around people, and even Rin looked like she needed help in that area. The children of the village knew Shippou well and had no problem playing with him, so naturally they took to the two girls too. By now Rin and Reiko felt more at ease in the village.

When Kagome wasn't with Inuyasha or Kaede, she was with the kids. It seemed that having someone to take care off took her mind off her own misfortune and gave her a sense of purpose again. Shippou had gotten used to calling her 'Okaa-san' now, but still referred to Inuyasha by name. Reiko wasn't trying to be a daughter to her yet, but it was apparent that the wolf-hanyou was indeed imprinting on the two inu-hanyous. Rin enjoyed everyone's company as always, but it was even more apparent that she wanted to be with Sesshoumaru again. The fact that she sent Ah-Un off to find him a week ago was hint enough.

After being hanyou for a month, Kagome felt better in her new body. She knew her attacks better and could do them when she chose. In fact, it was the training for her to use her claws that gave Inuyasha and Miroku enough wood to build with. She could better identify things by sound and scent, and now knew the limits of her strength and speed. Her hanyou instincts had settled into her mind by now, and she experienced her first time of weakness with Inuyasha on the new moon night. She could handle it fine, having been human originally and most of her life, but admitted to missing the feeling of being physically strong.

Kagome was well aware that their little break from shard hunting or the search for Naraku was all for her. Part of her, the part that always made her think of others before herself, didn't want to hold everyone back. But the rest of her agreed that she wasn't ready to travel again yet. At least not until she got her seal from Toutousai. She also wasn't ready to face Kouga, which everyone told her she should do eventually. She couldn't yet; she was just too frightened of the idea.

--

Kagome climbed out of the well and into the modern era alone. Inuyasha had to stay behind to help Miroku with his own hut. Unlike Inuyasha, who seemed to have a talent for construction, Miroku was completely inept at it. Sure, he could at least get the beams up and in place, but actually putting a building together wasn't something Miroku's hands were designed for. How he managed to hit all five fingers with a hammer one time was beyond them all.

Kagome sighed and breathed in the familiar scent of the Goshinboku. It was strange how the scent of the tree hadn't changed in five centuries and dominated the area. It comforted her, but she still couldn't smile, not today, Something was on Kagome's mind heavily, ensuring she would have a hard time enjoying today even though it was her 16th birthday.

Kagome was late.

Kagome wandered into the shrine, wondering who all was there. Considering the time of day, Souta would still be at school now that the year had started. Kagome could smell her mother in the kitchen, who was putting the finishing touches on a birthday cake.

"Mama, I'm back." Kagome called out unenthusiastically.

"Hello Kagome. Glad you made it. Or else this would have gone to waste." Mama put the cake off to the side. "So, how are you doing lately?"

"Not so good." Kagome hung her head. "Mama, I'm... late."

Mama didn't gasp, but she desperately needed to sit before her legs gave out. She sat down at the new table which replaced the one Kagome had broken, and her daughter joined her. "Are you feeling nauseous in the morning? Any odd cravings?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. Not at all. So far, I've shown no symptoms. But... what if I... am?" She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'pregnant', as if by saying it it would become a reality for sure.

Mama snapped her fingers, as if she just thought of something. "Wait. Your friend Ayumi-chan gave me something that should explain this." She disappeared into another room for a time, and came back with some papers that looked printed off a computer. "She gave me some information on inu-hanyous a while ago, thinking it would be useful. Biology, abilities, behavioral patterns, everything." She then looked through the pages and pulled out one of them. "A-ha. Got it." She handed the page to Kagome.

Kagome nervously took it and began to read. This is what it said:

_Reproduction._

_Inu-hanyous gain the ability to reproduce when they enter puberty like all creatures. They go through the standard physical and mental changes of most youkai and humans, without any significant distinction. They begin the process at about the age of 30 and finish at about the age of 80 normally, the biological equivalent of 13-18 for humans. (See page 4 for notes on hanyou aging.)_

_Like humans, female inu-youkai begin menstruating and having a heat cycle to show they are fertile to potential mates. Since inu-hanyous are among the longer living hanyous, the female isn't as fertile as most others since the need for a next generation isn't as great. Thus a female inu-hanyou will only menstruate once every four months, as opposed to the once every two months norm for hanyous._

The page went on concerning the conditions of inu-hanyou pregnancy, but Kagome had stopped reading. 'Once every four months? So my 'time of month' is now a 'time of season'? If that's true, then... I might not be pregnant.'

"Kagome, in case you're still concerned, I managed to get you a pregnancy test. It's in the bathroom under the sink." Mama told her daughter when it looked like she was finished reading.

"Thanks, Mama. I feel better now, but... I still better make sure." Kagome handed the paper back to her mother and went upstairs.

"By the way Kagome, did you want your school friends to come by today?" Mama asked.

"I have a feeling they will anyway. Ayumi-chan at the least since she knows I'm not sick." Kagome said. "And I have a feeling they're going to bring Houjou-kun along too."

"That reminds me." Mama said before digging into a pocket and pulling out two rings with no jewels but intricate patterns carved onto the bands. "Ayumi-chan came by earlier and dropped these off for you. Said they were her birthday gift to you, concealment spells for you and Inuyasha."

Kagome took them and looked over the rings. From what Ayumi told her, these rings when worn would make her look like a human and restrict her strength and speed to sligthly above human norms. They wouldn't affect her senses in any way so her nose and ears would still have hanyou abilities. These would be necessary if she and Inuyasha were to ever go out in public in Tokyo, however unlikely it was now.

"Wow. I'll have to thank her next time I see her." Kagome then went upstairs and into the bathroom.

--

Kagura was taking a bath at an onsen and Sesshoumaru was on the other side of the boulder she was leaning against. He had no interest in seeing her body, only hearing what she knew about Naraku.

The day he saved the wind youkai from Naraku's miasma, Sesshoumaru was led to Naraku's lair and attacked. Toukijin was able to do quite a bit of damage, but nothing irreparable. Naraku just kept healing over and over again. Hakudoshi was impossible to hit with his barrier, but Sesshoumaru, invincible taiyoukai that he is, proved it futile and hacked the white-haired boy to pieces, only to have him reassemble himself. Kanna was keeping an eye on Akago and Moryoumaru and thus was out of the battle.

Kagura took the chance to try and kill Akago while Naraku was distracted with Sesshoumaru. But the evil hanyou wasn't distracted that easily and thwarted her. Rather than repoison his former subordinate, Naraku chose to have everyone on his side retreat. Sesshoumaru gave chase, but since Naraku had the fuyoheki, he eventually lost him.

Now, a month later, Sesshoumaru still couldn't find Naraku. Kagura had no idea where he went and Jaken was even more clueless. Sesshoumaru had yet to go get Rin again because he felt they were close to finding Naraku, and didn't want her around to see the impending battle. Plus, Naraku liked to use the former-human girl as leverage against Sesshoumaru, and the inu-taiyoukai didn't want her to be affected by him more than she already had been. He would never admit it, but he did have a soft spot for the girl for reasons that escaped even him.

"Curse that bastard Naraku. It's harder than hell to find him now." Kagura mumbled simply for something to say.

Jaken, who had just returned from getting a bite to eat, heard this comment. "You know him better than us woman. Just what kind of places does he flee to?"

Kagura glared at the toadlike youkai. "From what I've seen, he goes to isolated areas that neither human or youkai make a point of going to. That doesn't really narrow it down, does it?"

Jaken scoffed. "If he thinks he's so tough, then why does he hide like a child where no one would look? He's a coward, that's what he is."

"Coward he may be, fool he is not." Sesshoumaru stated. "His choice of hiding areas makes perfect sense. It is also obvious enough to be overlooked by simpleminded fools like Inuyasha."

Jaken nodded then turned back to Kagura. "Say woman, has anything or anyone ever been able to actually hurt Naraku? To where he doesn't just heal right away?"

Kagura threw a rock at him, which resulted in a large bump. "I have a name imp! And yes. As far as I know, the only ones who can hurt Naraku to where he can't recover are Kagome and Kikyou."

Sesshoumaru's face didn't change, but this caught his interest. 'So... Inuyasha's wench can hurt Naraku, can she? Considering what I have seen her do, I shouldn't be too surprised.'

Kagura got out of the water, and just then Ah-Un landed in front of Sesshoumaru. "Ah-Un? You're supposed to be looking over Rin." The taiyoukai told the dragonet, which bellowed a little. "Hmm. Let me guess. She asked you to search us out because she misses us?" Both heads on the dragonet nodded. "I suppose there is no harm in reassuring her and making sure that hanyou is safeguarding her properly."

Ah-Un led Sesshoumaru back to Kaede's village, which would take a while even by flying. Kagura and Jaken had to scramble to catch up with him, who didn't even look back.

--

Kagome sat in her bedroom, staring outside to see if Inuyasha would show up. She had gotten out of a bath and was wearing a long sleeved red blouse with a long dark blue skirt. Her mom put her fire rat outfit through the wash. She knew it was only a matter of time before her modern day friends would show up, and she hoped that Inuyasha would arrive before them to prove to them that she wasn't interested in Houjou.

As her thoughts turned to Inuyasha, Kagome touched the courtship mark on her left shoulder. Youkai used scars as a way to show if one was courted or mated, much like how humans used rings to show they were engaged or married. Kagome's mark was like an engagement ring; it meant that she wasn't bonded to Inuyasha intimately just yet but eventually planned to be. It looked like an English 11 or a Japanese 2, cut into her skin by Inuyasha's claws. And like all mate marks, it would last as long as Kagome wanted it to. Inuyasha had one too.

According to Inuyasha, mate marks were the ultimate sign of love for youkai. They meant you loved someone enough to actually let them scar you without fearing the pain, knowing they meant no harm. In order for them to work, they had to be given at right times or they'd fade away since youkai and hanyou flesh doesn't scar easily. For the courtship mark, it was when the receiver thought only on how much they adored the giver, and for the mating mark, it was during mating itself. Inuyasha wasn't sure this worked for hanyous too until they actually tried it. They were both relieved to see it worked for them and now both were marked as taken.

Kagome was glad that the marks worked, for it proved to her that Inuyasha loved her more than Kikyou. She was trying to stop feeling so jealous when it came to the undead miko, but like Miroku said, old habits die hard. After all, Kikyou always tried to make her feel like she was the one Inuyasha was better off with, and sometimes succeeded.

'Yeah. Just like how Kouga tried to make Inuyasha feel I was better off with him instead.' Kagome angrily thought. Her training to use her claws was a great way to vent her anger at the wolf youkai, but it didn't get rid of it. Every time she struck a target, she pictured it was actually him. She hated the idea of being that cruel, but couldn't stop herself.

Right now, the only thing about Kouga that Kagome liked was that he didn't succeed in claiming her. And according to what Inuyasha told her about the mate marks, even if he did mark her like he wanted to, it wouldn't have lasted and he'd still have no claim to her. She was especially happy to see the pregnancy test say 'negative', and felt that once she was brave enough to face Kouga for what he had done, she'd make sure he was completely out of her life for good. Whether this meant death or not even she didn't know, but even if she didn't kill him, it was likely that Inuyasha would. And even if Kouga, by some miracle, got to walk away alive, Kagome would never want to see him again.

"Kagome, they're here." Mama called out to her daughter from downstairs.

Knowing exactly who her mother meant, Kagome put on her new ring. She looked in a mirror to see she looked just like her old human self again. Then she went downstairs and saw Yuka, Eri, Ayumi, and predictably Houjou, all with presents for her. They all said "Happy Birthday" and pulled her into the living room. Kagome managed to give Mama Inuyasha's ring and asked her to give it to him before he entered the house, if he showed up.

Once alone, the high school girls and boy gave Kagome her gifts. She feigned excitement, since she was given things that were pretty much useless to her. Things like some new Cd's and gift certificates to places she didn't go to anymore. Houjou gave her some more health aides that only Jii-chan would truly appreciate, as predicted again. Ayumi at least had something Kagome would find use for: a disposable camera, clearly for taking pictures back in the feudal era.

When done, Kagome asked them what it was like at high school out of sheer politeness. They said it wasn't that much different than middle school, but that was probably because they had just started. They were surprised that Kagome wasn't attending with them, but Kagome shrugged it off. They asked her what illness was keeping her out of school, and she simply said that the doctors hadn't told her yet. All she knew was that it was long term and she was better off in home school.

After that they settled down for a bit, until Houjou spoke up. "Say Higurashi, as another gift, would you like to go to a movie and dinner this weekend?"

Kagome sighed internally, wondering when the inevitable date request would come up. "That sounds nice Houjou-kun, but... I have a boyfriend and we're kind of serious about each other now."

The eyes of everyone but Ayumi widened a bit at this. Houjou's for hearing she had a boyfriend, and Yuka and Eri's for hearing they were serious now. Before the health-obsessed boy could ask a follow-up question, the two school girls had one of their own. Actually it was more of a statement. "You can't be serious, Kagome-chan!"

"And why not?" Kagome rebuttled calmly. She knew what to expect. Yuka and Eri had always assumed the worst in Inuyasha while Ayumi didn't. Yuka and Eri always told her to break things off with Inuyasha while Ayumi acted like the whole thing was right out of one of her romance mangas. "I've known him longer than Houjou-kun and have done more with him. Besides, I thought you two dropped your prejudices against him when you saw him months ago."

"We were just surprised. We didn't know what to expect, but it sure wasn't what we saw him as." Yuka replied. Ayumi had to contain a snicker, since unlike them she _had_ seen exactly what she expected.

"Yuka-chan, Eri-chan, just accept it. I love Inuyasha, and that's that." Kagome told them, surprising them with her straightforward admission. She then turned back to Houjou. "Sorry Houjou-kun. You're a nice guy, but I love someone else and can't accept any date requests."

"Okay Higurashi. I understand." Houjou said, no one really sure how he felt about this.

Yuka and Eri were about to say something else, but Ayumi lifted her hand to silence them. "Guys, that's enough. You may not like Inuyasha too much, but Kagome-chan's boyfriend doesn't have to fit your standards. He's a nice man who's done a lot for her and I feel they're perfect for one another."

"That's because you're a hopeless romantic." Eri stated.

"That's true." Ayumi commented as she took a sip of tea. "But that's not all of it. Unlike you two, I actually tried to know more about Inuyasha. And from what I've seen, your assumptions of him are dead wrong."

"Then why don't you be his girlfriend?" Yuka sarcastically scoffed.

"For one thing, he's taken. For another, I'm more of a cat person." Everybody assumed it was a joke at his name, but Kagome couldn't help but wonder if she actually meant about his youkai side instead.

"Enough." Kagome said dryly. "I don't want there to be a fight. Can't you two just be happy for me?"

"Kagome-chan, we want to be." Yuka told her. "But we can't help but feel that you're making a huge mistake by being with someone like Inuyasha. He might even try to take advantage of you later on."

Kagome looked sick to her stomach at the implication. "Inuyasha... would NEVER do such a thing to me! He's not some egotistical idiot who thinks that because he's got some skills and a fancy title that he can do whatever he wants to whoever he wants!" A small growl could be heard when she finished.

"But still, you could do better than a rough-and-tough street boy like him." Eri added. "Like Houjou-kun, or that Kouga-kun you told us about who always..." She never got the chance to finish.

Kagome stood up quickly, clenching her fists and baring her concealed fangs at everyone. Even Ayumi looked surprised by this. "Don't you EVER mention that bastard's name again!" Her fists began to tremble. "I need some air. DON'T follow me!"

With that, she went outside. Despite her warnings, everyone but Ayumi tried to follow her to see what was wrong. Fortunately for Kagome, they weren't quick enough and she went down the well. They spent a good twenty minutes looking for her before giving up. When asked why she wasn't, Ayumi said she was simply doing as told. Feeling the party was over, Yuka, Eri, And Houjou went home, while Ayumi stayed to talk with Mama.

Ayumi told Mama what had happened, and Mama sighed maternally. Now she understood why she saw Kagome storm off outside. Ayumi was a little confused still. She knew that inu-youkai and inu-hanyou were fiercely protective of their mates and intended, but that didn't seem to justify such behavior to her. Mama then decided to tell the wavy-haired girl just what had happened between her and Kouga.

Ayumi looked like she wanted to throw up, and now completely sympathized with her friend's choice of actions.

Kagome came back later that evening to apologize for leaving so suddenly. Inuyasha came too to give the others a piece of his mind. Kagome was relieved to see they had left. Ayumi offered some comfort and sympathy to her friend for her traumatic experience as best she could. Kagome was kind of embarrassed at having Ayumi know, but the wavy-haired girl swore it to secrecy. If there was one thing an Aider could do well, it was keep a secret about someone else.

They had dinner and cake, and Kagome's family gave her their gifts. These were ones she would surely have a use for and appreciate. Mama gave her two new kimonos along with her cleaned fire rat one. Souta gave her a photo album full of pictures of the Higurashi's in the modern era, so Kagome would never forget this time if she ever left it permanently. Jii-chan gave her some first aid supplies, which unlike the stuff Houjou gave her she'd have better use for. He also gave her a futon and bed set since he heard she was having a hut built to live in back in the feudal era. She was just glad it wasn't another mummified hand like last year.

When done, she thanked them for her gifts and returned to the past with Inuyasha. She was offered to stay the night, since they worried over how she could sleep in that time now. But Kagome said that having Inuyasha around was all she needed to sleep, and he preferred being there. No one argued, and everyone went to bed themselves.

--

Ginta was in the forest where he had last seen Kouga. Now that he was fully recovered, Kikyou had him go back to his own kind now. He figured that the best place to go was the northern wolf tribe since they were allies and Hakkaku would most likely go there. But first the striped-haired wolf youkai wanted to see if Kouga was still pinned to the tree.

Considering what wolf youkai culture was like, most wolves who saw what Ginta had seen would have thought nothing of it. After all, wolf females were taught to be submissive around males and males were likely to claim mates whenever they felt like it, sometimes having more than one. So most would have seen the 'incident' as nothing more than Kouga claiming Kagome as a mate.

But Ginta knew better. Back when the tribe hunted humans, it was his job to find out about them. Most just wanted to know how best to catch and kill them, like how taijiyas approached their own job. But Ginta found out more since he was curious about them. He found out that unlike wolves, human females were not taught to simply submit to a male who demanded it of them. Among humans, it was best that the female gave permission first, and to do otherwise was a horrible offense to them that scarred them. Kouga may not have realized that was exactly what he was doing, but Ginta did, and knew that Kagome had to be helped at that moment.

So even though he was alone and had only one eye now, Ginta didn't regret his decision. He hoped Kagome was okay, but had no idea where to find her to find out. He figured as long as she was with her pack, she would be okay. He only wished he had gotten there sooner.

Now that he saw Kouga was still stuck to the same tree as last time, Ginta decided to go north. But the scent of an approaching wolf youkai from the west made him stop.

A female wolf youkai with brown-gray hair that went to her waist with a red gi on came into view. She had a set of nunchuks on each side, held in place by a blue obi. She looked rather young, about 15 in human terms. "Hello. Who are you?"

"I'm Ginta of the eastern tribe." He introduced himself.

"I'm Naoko of the western tribe." She said with a polite bow. "I'm looking for a young wolf-hanyou and a group that has inu-youkai as some members. Have you seen either lately?"

"No, no wolf hanyous. I do know of a group with an inu-hanyou as it's alpha, but I'm sure that's not the one you're looking for."

Naoko arched an eyebrow. "Would this inu-hanyou happen to sport a red haori and hakama along with a large blade?"

Ginta blinked. "Why, yes."

Naoko clapped her hands together. "You will take me to this pack then." It wasn't a request.

"And why should I? How do I know you're not going to hurt them?"

"My mission is to retrieve the wolf-hanyou that accompanies this pack. I will hurt only those that try to stop me." Naoko told him. "And if you aid me, I can have someone in my tribe see if they can give you your eye back."

Ginta absentmindedly touched his eyepatch, wishing he could see as well as he used to again. "I'm sorry, but I don't know where they are and probably couldn't be much help finding them."

"But you at least would recognize them better than I could. That's help." Naoko insisted.

Ginta sighed. He knew that this one wolf youkai couldn't possibly cause Inuyasha's group any harm. So what was the harm in having her find them. "Fine. I could use some company."

The two wolf youkai left the woods, paying no mind to the one stuck to a tree.


	7. Attacked

Chapter 7:Attacked

It was a few days after Kagome's birthday. Kagome was in the house Inuyasha had built for them, which was now finished, and was busy setting up the inside so it was livable. Mama had helped her the other day get some things for the house, things like tatami mats and small futons for Shippou and Reiko, who took to sleeping there. Rin didn't since she preferred to sleep outside. Somehow, Kagome found the idea of setting up her first house of her own to be soothing and exciting, and she was determined to make this place feel as much like home as the Higurashi shrine once had.

Inuyasha let her do the job as desired. He didn't really care what was in the house, just _who _was in it, as long as she didn't dress it up too fancy for his tastes. Plus, since he did the hard part of actually putting it together, it seemed fair to him that she tackled the task of making it homey. While she was doing that, he was asked by Sango to help Miroku with building their own home. The houshi wouldn't admit it, but he needed help. He made sure to give it two rooms, so that before they were married they'd had some privacy and afterwards they'd have room for the child Miroku definitely wanted. Miroku still insisted on doing the majority of the work, and with Inuyasha's help his injuries on the job reduced, but didn't disappear.

While the adults were busy with their own tasks, the three kids of the group stayed out of the way and tried to have fun. They were currently in Inuyasha's Forest, having a race around the village. The start and finish were the Goshinboku. In the north side Reiko, who was currently in the lead, was ambushed by a large youkai beetle and screamed as it tried to bite her. She was too young for her hanyou abilities aside from senses to be effective or useful, so all she could do was run. Shippou came from behind her and crushed it with his big top attack, then Rin used her venom to ensure it was dead. Reiko stopped to thank them, and they playfully took the opportunity to get ahead of her.

Shippou won the race while Rin came in second. They were both out of breath and decided to rest for a moment. Reiko brought them some pocky, a snack she relished almost as much as Inuyasha did ramen, and they sat under the Goshinboku. "Say, Onii-sama, Onee-sama," Reiko started. After being with them both most of the time for a while she grew to think of Shippou and Rin as older siblings. "In a little bit why don't we go get some kids from the village and play that 'sakkaa' game Kagome-sama taught us?" She was trying to say 'soccer' but found it hard to pronounce.

Rin shook her head. "No thanks. I don't care much for that game."

"It seems you don't care much for any game that requires more than just us to play." Shippou commented. Even after a month of being with them in the village, it seemed that Rin wasn't interested in really mingling with it. Sure, she could cooperate with the people in it, but given the choice, didn't want to. "I don't think it's the game you dislike. It's the players."

"So?" Rin asked with a shrug. "I prefer it if it's just us three. You guys I can get along with fine. It's people I can't."

"Why?" Reiko asked, on her second piece of pocky already.

Rin looked at her toes, wiggling them around for no reason. "I just... don't know that many good ones. I've seen much more bad ones than good ones. Humans... they scare me. That's why I'm glad I'm a youkai now."

This wasn't that surprising to Shippou. He figured there had to be a reason that Rin preferred the company of Sesshoumaru as opposed to someone who actually answered her questions when asked. They had all been told by now of how she met the taiyoukai and ended up in his company, but he figured she was with him out of more than just gratitude. The real reason was simple; she felt safe with him. The real question was why he let her stay when she was a human, considering his own attitude towards the species.

Rin was about to suggest something else to do, but the wind briefly kicked up, carrying a scent she knew by heart. She immediately jolted up and looked where the scent was coming from, tail already wagging. In no time at all, Sesshoumaru came down from the sky followed by Ah-Un, Jaken, and Kagura. Rin ran right up to Sesshoumaru and hugged him, while Shippou got on guard at the sight of Kagura. Reiko, having never met these people before, was conflicted on what to do. The fact that the other two had opposing reactions didn't help her make a decision, so she froze in place cautiously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! I'm so glad you glad to see me. I've missed you." Rin happily exclaimed.

"Is that the only reason that you sent Ah-Un for me?" Sesshoumaru asked her in his usual monotone.

Most people would be afraid that the one-armed taiyoukai would strike them down for such a trivial thing. Rin wasn't. "Yeah. What's wrong about that?"

"I was busy and you shouldn't have bothered me before I was ready to seek you out." He told the little girl.

Rin put her hands behind her back. "Sorry, my lord. But you obviously weren't so busy that you couldn't see me, and with Ah-Un you didn't have to search for me."

"It is still foolish and inconsiderate of you to do such things you impudent child!" Jaken sternly stated, shaking a fist a little. "It was also rude to put your selfish desire to see him above his..."

"Jaken, that's enough." Sesshoumaru told his ward, effectively silencing him.

Inuyasha came from towards the village, fanged bared but not Tetsusaiga. "What the hell are you doing here Sesshoumaru?"

"Making sure you are watching Rin as directed. I see you at least have the skills to do that task." Sesshoumaru told him.

Inuyasha then saw Kagura and pulled out Tetsusaiga. Kagura put away her fan and addressed him calmly. "Relax Inuyasha. I'm not here to fight. My ties to Naraku are cut so I'm not on his side any more."

"Feh. Last time that happened you still fought us." He angrily pointed out, referring the time she helped Kaguya-hime.

Kagura shrugged his comment off. "By the way, Naraku told me what he did to Kagome. That was too evil even for him. I hope she's okay."

Inuyasha was surprised by this enough to lower Tetsusaiga. Shippou, who was trying to lead Reiko away, was surprised too enough to want to hear more. "Why do you care about Kagome?"

"Granted, I never cared much for your group, but I am a woman and thus hate the idea of what she went through." Kagura replied, then closed her eyes. "I especially hate why Naraku caused it at all."

One of Inuyasha's ears twitched. This was something he had wanted to know for over a month. "Why did he do that to her?"

"Do what to her?" Reiko asked. None of the three kids were told what had happened to Kagome, but they all knew something had hurt her deeply the last time she saw Kouga. Sango said it was a lot like when Miroku groped her, but more than Kouga's hand was touching more than Kagome's rear.

Inuyasha turned to look at the kitsune youkai and the wolf hanyou. "You two better go back to the others. Now." When they did, he repeated his last question to Kagura.

"Well, from what he told me, he wanted to upset you and her, make you think she chose to be with that wolf instead of you. Also, I think he wanted Kagome to lose her miko powers so she couldn't destroy his body anymore." Kagura answered.

'Miroku was right.' Inuyasha gasped inwardly. Miroku had said that this was ultimately somehow supposed to strengthen Naraku, and if the wind youkai was right in her theory, so was he. 'Naraku planned a rape for Kagome because... she could do some serious damage to him with her arrows before, and he wanted to take away her ability to do that.' It made complete sense to him, and it enraged him.

"Is she well? Did his plan work?" Kagura asked, actually sounding friendly for once.

"She's... recovering." It was all he could bring himself to say.

Sesshoumaru looked impatient. "Come. We should keep searching for Naraku. Rin, stay with Inuyasha still until I come for you."

"You don't have to worry about her safety. The girl can seriously kick some ass. She fought off three wolf youkai all by herself. It was impressive." Inuyasha told his older brother.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened a fraction. "Really?" Rin proudly nodded. "Be that as it may, Naraku is tougher, and we're still unable to find him. I don't want you to see when I slay him."

"Can't find him, huh?" Inuyasha asked, then looked to Kagura. "Shouldn't you at least know where he is?"

"I did, but he fled and is hiding again."

"Hiding, huh?" Rin asked herself, then looked to Sesshoumaru. "You know, in hide-and-seek, you never expect the other person to hide in the same place twice. Could he have gone back to somewhere you've already seen him at?" In a previous game, Shippou had taught her that little lesson.

Sesshoumaru's expression didn't change, but Kagura's did. Considering Naraku's usual pattern, which was hiding in places no one bothered to look or could get to, the young girl's idea made complete sense. "That... is actually a good idea. It wouldn't hurt to try it, would it?"

"It could be nothing more than a waste of time." Sesshoumaru countered. "On the other hand, it's not like we have any other ideas." With that, he turned to leave, and Kagura and Jaken followed him. Rin wanted to follow, but Ah-Un had her stop.

Inuyasha then went right to where the group's houses were being built, followed by Rin and Ah-Un. He told them all that Sesshoumaru had passed through and had a possible lead to where Naraku was and wanted to check it out too. Sango protested on Kagome's behalf, but the former miko said she agreed with Inuyasha. She didn't want to pass up a chance to get revenge on Naraku, since she blamed him as much as she did Kouga for her 'incident'.

Confident that Kagome could handle it, everyone, including Rin, tried to follow Sesshoumaru. Reiko and Shippou stayed behind with Kaede since she couldn't do anything but run and he couldn't hurt anyone. Rin at least could do some damage and everyone knew it. Both hoped everyone came back okay.

--

It was about four or five hours after noon when Sesshoumaru's group and Inuyasha's group had arrived where Kagura last saw Naraku. It was a clear valley outside a forest, with a cliff on the other side of where they entered from and a river at it's base. About thirty feet up there was an alcove built into it, and slash marks were carved into the rock, most from Toukijin. It almost looked deserted, but some saimyosho flew around the area and those with a sharp nose could smell Naraku's scent, not lingering but fresh with the source there.

"It seems you were right Rin." Sesshoumaru whispered to the young girl, well aware she had followed with Inuyasha's group.

A big explosion happened just then on the cliff, sending everyone running from the falling rubble. When it stopped, everyone stepped forward back into the open. The smoke cleared and soon Naraku, Hakudoshi, Moryoumaru, and Kohaku could be seen standing before them. Hakudoshi was brandishing a lance and Kohaku his chain-scythe, while the other two were weaponless. Kohaku was bothered to have to fight his sister, but kept his well-practiced 'no will of my own' expression on to prevent Naraku from seeing he regained his memories and independence.

No one bothered to exchange words, everyone just rushed in to fight. Kagura was going to fight with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru because she was sick of how Naraku had treated her and wanted revenge. It seemed everyone was trying to attack everyone on the other side all at once. However, Sango and Kohaku were focused solely on each other. Sango, with Kirara's help, was trying to get through to Kohaku, who was hoping Naraku was too busy to see he was faking the fight. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru targeted Naraku exclusively, while Miroku and Rin targeted Moryoumaru and Kagura and Kagome tried to hurt Hakudoshi. Neither side seemed to be hurting the other.

Rin tried her youki whip, but Moryoumaru's body absorbed the impact. Kagura's Dance of the Dragon had no effect once Hakudoshi raised a shield around himself. Kaze no Kizu and Dragon Strike tore Naraku to pieces, but he kept putting himself back together like a jigsaw puzzle made of flesh. Miroku couldn't use the kazaana due to the saimyosho. Neither Sango or Kohaku were able to hurt the other because they didn't want to hurt the other. Hakudoshi dropped his barrier when he felt the threat was gone, and Kagome used a Blades of Blood attack, which diced him temporarily.

Moryoumaru looked like he was about to launch some kind of youki blast from his right shoulder. Inuyasha turned his attention to the youkai golem and used a Kongousouha on him. It stopped him, but the diamond shards simply embedded themselves in his flesh. A few tore through his wings, ensuring he wouldn't have an easy time flying soon. Moryoumaru then repelled the shards out of his body, sending them flying everywhere. Inuyasha got Kagome out of the way and everyone else dodged. Sesshoumaru however just struck one with Toukijin and shattered the large diamond, not even fazed by it.

Hakudoshi created a bunch of lightning bolts that danced around everywhere, causing everyone but Sesshoumaru to scatter. The taiyoukai just shrugged it off and continued to slice into Naraku, trying to get to his heart, or at least where it was supposed to be. All of a sudden, three bright flashes of light came from the forest and struck Naraku, Hakudoshi, and Moryoumaru. Naraku's body had a huge hole in his torso, as did Hakudoshi, and Moryoumaru had a huge gash under his chest. Akago fell out of the wound, holding the fuyoheki, and Moryoumaru collapsed like a puppet with it's strings cut.

"Hmm... so the big youkai was just the little youkai's vessel?" Miroku speculated. "In that case..." He unleashed the kazaana, ignored the saimyosho, and sucked up Moryoumaru into the oblivion that was his right hand. He tried to suck up the youkai infant too, but it was pulled away like there was a stronger kazaana in the other direction. Kagura saw that it was Kanna, by the cliff using her mirror, who was saving Akago.

Naraku erected a barrier around him, Hakudoshi, and Kanna to prevent another attack like that. Miroku grimaced at the pain from sucking up the youkai wasps. Kohaku was still pretending to fight his sister. Kagome scanned the area looking to see where the flashes of light came from, having an idea. Inuyasha used the Red Tetsusaiga, but it had no effect on Naraku's barrier. Sesshoumaru tried his Toukijin, but it didn't work either. Naraku and Hakudoshi tried to heal their wounds, but it was no use.

While he tried to recover, Naraku shot out a tendril that happened to cut Sango's calf. she collapsed to the ground and cried out. "Ane-ue!" Kohaku called to her, unable to stop himself, and inadvertently revealing himself.

"Hmm... so you recognize this woman, Kohaku?" Naraku asked. "I guess you know more then you should. I can't have that." He then reached out and pulled Kohaku's shard right out of his back before anyone could do anything about it. Once the shikon shard was gone, Kohaku collapsed dead on the ground.

"NOOO!" Sango shouted, grabbing her younger brother's body and holding it close. Even Rin approached it but didn't touch it.

Hakudoshi got out of the barrier and summoned enough lightning for it to be considered a small storm. The attack tore up the ground and sent everyone trying to get away again. Sesshoumaru struck the boy with his Toukijin and he fell, but it wouldn't last. Sango carried her brother's corpse over by some bushes and Kirara kept guard, ready to attack at any moment. Miroku's legs were numb, having been brushed by the lightning, so he couldn't stand. Inuyasha was trying to get through the barrier.

Kagome was laying against the cliff, feeling pretty tired. She usually wasn't this active in a battle since archery didn't require you to be. She turned and saw Kanna holding Akago not that far from her. Kanna saw her but did nothing. The nothingness youkai knew that she couldn't affect Kagome with her mirror as intended and thus wouldn't bother. Akago glared at her, as if he wanted to do something to her. Naraku saw she was separated from the others and floated over to her.

Kagome saw him approach and felt enraged and panicked at the same time, both for the same reason. "Naraku! We _will_ kill you today, for all you've done to us!" She growled, trying to sound brave and threatening but not doing quite as well a job as she hoped to.

"Thinking my little plot with the wolf youkai now are we?" Naraku asked as he tried rearranging his body to fill in the hole in his torso.

"Why did you do that? Why? How could you have gained?" Kagome asked angrily.

"It's simple. If you had become a wolf youkai like I planned, then Inuyasha would have thought you had abandoned him for another. And with both of you heartbroken, neither of you would have bothered anymore to come after me. And even if you did, you would have no miko powers to hurt me with and Inuyasha would have no spirit to actually do the job anymore. He'd just want to die too. But mostly, it was just a plan too good to pass up." Naraku explained with a sinister snicker in the back of his throat. It seemed Kagura's suspicions were right.

"You... did _that_... to try and tear me and Inuyasha apart? Just because you _felt_ like it?" Kagome asked, feeling disgusted that even Naraku could be that cruel. It seems his name wasn't 'hell' for nothing.

"It's a shame he didn't get to finish. Maybe I should for him." He smirked as he said this, the hole in his body filled now. He sure had a lot of flesh for someone his size, which probably explained how he could make so many spawns.

"You... you wouldn't!" Kagome responded with sheer terror in her voice and eyes. She tried to curl inwards and scurry away at the same time. Of course, she couldn't.

"You forget who you're talking to." He told her as he raised both hands and begin to lean towards her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT AGAIN! INUYASHA! SAVE ME! INUYAASHAAAAA!"

The shield around Naraku was down now that Hakudoshi was focused more on fighting Sesshoumaru and Kagura. Ignoring every sore muscle in his body, Inuyasha pounced at Naraku from behind. Ready to slash him apart, Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga and raise it above his head. But before he could strike, Naraku was torn into dozens of tiny chunks and blown back.

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and saw Kagome standing up, breathing deeply and looking savage. Her eyes were blood red with blue slits and she had a jagged light purple stripe on each cheek. Naraku's threat had unleashed Kagome's inner demon for the second time.

Kagome saw her extended claws, and looked disturbed, but not as much as last time. Each time she transformed, like Inuyasha it would get harder to know anything except how to kill whatever's in front of you. Right now she retained some sentience, but if there was a third time, there might not be. This thought made her start to hyperventilate. Inuyasha held out the Tetsusaiga and she took ahold of it, returning to normal. Her legs gave out and she still breathed deeply holding Inuyasha's sword close to her. He took ahold of her to relax her, hoping no one would attack them at that moment.

Naraku began putting himself back together and was about to pierce the hanyou couple, but suddenly he spasmed. Hakudoshi did too, giving Sesshoumaru the chance to pierce him instead. They turned and saw Kanna playing tug-of-war with Rin in her dog form, using Akago as the rope. Seeing that their heart was in danger, Hakudoshi flew towards the youkai girl to skewer her with his lance. Miroku then unleashed the kazaana and Hakudoshi got caught in the wind. The white-haired boy was pulled into the void just like Moryoumaru and countless other youkai were.

Naraku tried to get over to Rin and stop her, but Sesshoumaru got in his way and continued to cut him. Kagura attacked from behind, mostly to vent her frustration at the man who had controlled her all her life. Naraku tried to release some miasma to stop them, but in his state could only release enough to give Kagura a small headache and do nothing to Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to watch, unable to fight too since Kagome clung to him like a lifeline.

Kanna lost the game of tug-of-war with Rin, and the taiyoukai girl had a firm hold of Naraku's heart in her mouth. She knew this was no ordinary baby, not even a real one in fact, so she felt no conflict over using her fangs to hold it in place. Then she bit done hard, cleaving the youkai infant in half. Akago tried to heal itself and put himself back in one piece, but Rin drooled venom on his wounds. Akago couldn't heal from this, and began to rot from the toxins.

Naraku screamed and his face turned a sickly pale green color. His body began to stop trying to repair itself. Instead the pieces just fell onto the ground and started to smoulder. Akago dissolved into a pile of slimy dust, and Naraku's flesh started to do the same. His last words were "CURSE YOU ALL!" Soon all that was left was the near-complete Shikon no Tama, which Inuyasha reached for and pocketed.

Miroku suddenly felt a sting in his hand, and saw his kazaana seal up. Kanna began to fade from existence, literally becoming nothing. Akago wasn't her heart, but Naraku held hers in his body and since he died, she did too. Kagura felt a little sorrowful at seeing her sister die. She knew that Naraku never intended for any of his spawn to outlive him, and the only reason she was still alive was because she had her actual heart in her own body. Sesshoumaru quickly scanned for the imps from the other world. Seeing him around where Naraku collapsed, he was convinced the dark hanyou was at last dead, and ignored the imps completely. No way was he even going to _think _about cutting them and reviving Naraku.

Miroku walked over to Sango, who was still weeping over the lose of her dear younger brother. Kirara tried to nuzzle her to comfort her, but it didn't work. Miroku knelt down to hold her, keeping his hands in safe areas. He was well aware his touch would barely be helpful, but it was better than nothing. Sesshoumaru walked over and saw the boy. He recognized him as the one who nearly killed Rin awhile back. He knew Rin still liked the boy and was bound to ask him to revive him, so he thought he'd beat her to the request. He pulled out Tenseiga, but it ignored the request to revive the young taijiya. He tried to see the underworld imps, but they weren't visible. For some reason, even though there was no evil on the boy, the great sword of healing could not or would not revive him.

"Tenseiga will not restore this one's life. He is gone for good." The taiyoukai told them bluntly, making Sango feel worse, her last hope crushed. He then walked over towards Rin, who returned to her human form and was spitting out the taste of Akago. "Rin."

Rin immediately stopped and straightened up. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

He patted her on the head. "Well done. You are indeed strong now and I am proud of you."

"Thank you very much, Sesshoumaru-sama." Rin said with a bow. She giggled when she raised her head. "Isn't it funny how it was _Naraku_ that gave me the power to defeat him?"

Sesshoumaru smiled, and it was unlike the ones that Jaken feared seeing. "Naraku was bound to have one of his ploys backfire on him eventually."

Jaken came out of nowhere, pulling Ah-Un behind him. "Wow Rin. That was unbelievable!"

Rin glared at him. "And just where were you all this time?"

Jaken blanched. "I... uh... I... was ensuring that no threats came from elsewhere."

"In other words, you were hiding." Rin stated.

"Come. Let's return to the west." Sesshoumaru told his vassals. The western lands were where he lived and ruled, having inherited them from his father long ago. "Do you plan on accompanying us Kagura?"

Kagura shook her head. "Not now. Now I can finally relax and go where I please. I'll go see what's out there, but maybe someday I'll stop by." She pulled out her feather then looked to Miroku and Sango. "If you ever see me again, don't worry. Right now I see no reason we should continue to be enemies." She then got on her feather and flew off to parts unknown, just like the wind.

Rin walked over to Inuyasha and Kagome. "Inuyasha-sama? Kagome-sama? Are you okay?"

Inuyasha turned to look at her, while Kagome still stared at just Inuyasha's chest, as if she was zoned out. "Kagome's... really scared right now. Naraku said something that scared her greatly. She needs to go home."

"As do we. Let us leave." Sesshoumaru told his vassals again and turned to leave.

"Um... Sesshoumaru-sama, could I have the chance to say good-bye to their pups first?" Rin cautiously asked.

"What pups?" Sesshoumaru asked back.

"They have two pups back in their home territory. They're my friends and I'd like the chance to say good-bye if I can." Rin explained.

"Very well."

Inuyasha got up, bringing Kagome up with him holding her bridal style. Miroku and Sango got on Kirara, taking Kohaku's body with them. Rin got on Ah-Un with Jaken and everyone headed back to Kaede's village.

--

Kikyou saw them all depart from where she watched the fight. She had been passing through the area and saw them all encounter Naraku. She saw Inuyasha with a dead set look of determination on his face, one unlike any she had ever seen before, and knew why that was. Thus she stayed out of sight and scent range of the hanyou, so he'd have no distractions from the battle. She did fire a few arrows when she felt they needed the extra help, but did no more than that.

Inuyasha had always wanted to fight and kill Naraku to avenge her death, since he felt so guilty for it. But now, the real reason was surely to avenge Kagome's misery and misfortune. Kikyou was not his top priority anymore, and the undead miko knew this. Either way, he had done what he set out to do for both girls. She would see him soon and thank him for that, then tell him what her intentions were for him.

Kikyou made a quick check of the battlefield and used her miko power to purify the area to ensure that any remains of Naraku were gone and unable to be resurrected. He was a sneaky hanyou, always able to escape death it seemed, and now she wanted to take no chances. Satisfied, She summoned her shinidama-chuu and slowly went to where she knew Inuyasha was headed.


	8. Adored lemon

Chapter 8:Adored

_Warning: Lemon in this chapter at the end. Not the hot and wild kind, but the sweet and romantic kind. If you don't like, don't read._

A little after sunset, everyone who was in the fight against Naraku and survived, except Kagura and Kikyou, had made it to Kaede's village. Kaede, Shippou, and Reiko were having stew as dinner and offered them some as they rested. There was enough since Kaede was sure they'd be back. They told the elderly miko about the fight with Naraku and that they now had his part of the Shikon no Tama. With all the shards they now had, they might actually have all of the jewel now. They offered Sango Kohaku's shard back, but she declined. She felt it was cruel to keep him alive, and it would be no different than with Kikyou in her eyes. As much as she hated to say it, his time had come. With that, they fused the shards together, and the Shikon no Tama was indeed whole once more.

Kagome was glad, but also disturbed. She had no idea what they would do with the complete jewel now. Inuyasha said he didn't want to be a youkai anymore and she didn't want to be human again. She had grown to feel comfortable in her inu-hanyou body now. Neither Miroku, Sango, Shippou, or anyone else she knew had a wish in mind. And even if they did, would they be happy about it? The jewel tended to grant wishes in ways that weren't quite what the wisher wanted, from what she heard from it. She tried to think very carefully about the wish that would be best to help them and purify the jewel into nonexistence.

When done eating, Kagome asked Inuyasha to take her back home. She still hadn't left his arms yet, and that was at her request. Hearing Naraku threaten to rape her had done more than struck a nerve with her. She feared she had suffered a relapse, if she understood the term correctly. Inuyasha carried her out and started heading towards the well. When they passed the house Inuyasha had built, Kagome told him to go back. She told him that by 'home', she meant the one in this time, the one she was trying to make home. With no complaints, he turned around and brought her to the room they shared. He placed her down on her futon and sat against the wall, as they usually did now when Kagome stopped feeling she could only sleep in his embrace. When he sat down, she motioned for him to come over and scooted over enough so that there was room on the futon for him too. Inuyasha hesitated, not familiar or even predicting a scene like this. But he couldn't refuse a crying Kagome, and joined her on her bed, holding her so she'd be able to doze off in time tonight. Neither could get to sleep just yet.

--

After dinner, Shippou, Reiko, and Rin were out by the Goshinboku, saying goodbye to each other. Sesshoumaru wasn't that far away, but far enough to where he couldn't hear them unless he tried. This was because he had no interest in being around the human village or hearing what a bunch of little kids said to each other.

Rin had just told them that she was leaving to go to the western lands with Sesshoumaru, and Reiko was crying. "Why? Aren't we pack? Why do you want to leave like this?" Shippou was taking this well, having seen it coming a month ago. Reiko had too, but had gotten more attached than the kitsune had.

Rin put a hand on the wolf hanyou's shoulder to try and pacify her. "Reiko-chan, you and Shippou-chan will always be pack to me, but Sesshoumaru-sama is my alpha and I follow him. Besides, it's not like we'll never see each other again, just less often. I'll be sure to visit sometimes, and I'm sure eventually Sesshoumaru-sama will let you visit me."

Reiko stopped crying, but didn't wipe her tears away. "I'll miss you, Onee-sama."

"I'll miss you too, Reiko-chan. Both of you." Rin said, facing both. She bowed to both of them and they bowed back. When done, Rin took a step backwards. "I better get going before they get impatient. Goodbye again, my friends." She walked away and waved, then turned towards Sesshoumaru and didn't look back, knowing if she did it would just get harder. When she got to her own group, Rin got on Ah-Un and everyone flew off towards the west, disappearing from sight in just a minute.

Reiko looked like she was about to cry again. Shippou put an arm around her. "Hey, you still got us, Reiko-chan. And we're not going anywhere."

Reiko smiled a little. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Onii-sama."

"Come on. Let's go back to the others. Maybe there's still some candy you haven't already gotten into yet." Everyone thought that Shippou was the one with the sweet tooth in the group, but Reiko had him beat easily.

They started walking back, but a new scent filled the air, one Shippou knew better than Reiko. Soon some shinidama-chuu were seen flying through the trees, guiding Kikyou in the direction of the village, who ignored the two children completely. Shippou groaned, knowing it was just a matter of time until this happened, but not liking it one bit. Reiko was bothered about how this woman smelled like dirt instead of flesh.

"We better stay away from the house for a bit." Shippou told the wolf hanyou.

"Why?" She asked, completely uninformed about Kikyou and her connection to the group.

"That woman has a connection to Inuyasha that bothers Okaa-san. Sometimes she tried to take him away from her. I hope that he does the right thing and tells her who's more important to him."

Reiko gasped. She hoped that Inuyasha wouldn't leave Kagome. If that happened, she'd never get the mother and father she wanted. She felt she couldn't call the two adult hanyous that yet, but she knew she wanted to.

Shippou pulled her hand. "C'mon, we should go to Miroku and Sango-chan's house for a while."

"But it's not finished yet." Reiko pointed out.

"Then Kaede-ba-chan's." Shippou replied, obviously wanting to be out of the area. He left and Reiko followed, both hoping they'd still have two respective parents in the morning.

--

Inuyasha sat up the second he heard someone step into his house, and Kagome clung to him, frightened a little of the intruder. Soon the scent of dirt and clay hit their noses. Kagome had never smelled it before, but was familiar enough with the description to know who it was.

Kikyou opened the shoji to their room and was relieved to find them decent. She sat down by the doorway and looked at them both solemnly as usual. No one knew exactly what to say to the other to start things off. Inuyasha wanted to tell his former love interest that he had chosen to be with Kagome and going to hell with the undead miko was no longer an option. Kagome wanted to thank her for sealing up Kouga, and ask why she did it anyway.

Kikyou started things off after a tense few seconds of silence. "So, you're a hanyou now." It was more of an observation than a question.

"Yes." Kagome answered. "It happened because of Naraku."

"It does not matter how it happened. Either way, it proves I was right." Kikyou responded.

"Proves you were right on what?" Inuyasha asked.

Kikyou suddenly looked more solemn than usual, almost remorseful even. "Inuyasha, ever since I failed to take you to hell shortly after I was resurrected, I have suspected that you were truly fated to be with my reincarnation, not me. Otherwise her voice should not have been able to reach you. Her change to hanyou only confirms that idea to me. I just did not want to accept it for a while."

Kikyou inhaled deeply then faced Inuyasha directly. "Inuyasha, our time together sadly ended fifty-one years ago, and it was wrong of me to make you dwell on the past this last year. Of course, I wasn't much better when I was alive. I told you that you could use the Shikon no Tama to become human, and you thought it was so we could live together. In truth, I was more concerned about purifying the youkai in you and being rid of the jewel. I was a selfish person who grew tired of their lifestyle, and I was trying to use you to get out of it."

Inuyasha looked stunned. "But Kikyou, you're a better person than that."

"Am I? Is it really so hard for you to see me as I am and was?" Kikyou asked. "I have tried to kill you several times for a crime you did not commit because I refused to hear your side. I also tried to keep Kagome away from you on more than one occasion for selfish reasons. And I gave Naraku a large portion of the jewel, vainly believing that only I could get rid of both."

"But you do have good qualities. You punished the wolf youkai who attacked Kagome, didn't you?" Inuyasha countered and asked. Kikyou nodded.

"Thank you for that Kikyou. I'm very, _very _grateful." Kagome added. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... why did you do it?"

"Because you would have done the same for me." Kikyou answered. "And I owed you for saving me from Naraku's miasma. Plus, I was already able to accept that you and Inuyasha belonged together and I had to take care of the one who threatened to come between you. That happened to Inuyasha and me; I felt you two did not deserve that too. I would have done it sooner, but that other wolf youkai beat me to it."

"Well, thank you again for helping me." Kagome repeated. "At least this time you sealed a youkai that deserved it."

Kikyou nodded, then faced Inuyasha again. "Inuyasha, with Naraku dead you no longer have to feel guilty over what happened to us. If you choose to take Kagome as your spouse and join her in the afterlife instead of me, I shall accept it. Our time is gone forever, so you should be with the one who truly holds your heart."

Inuyasha gave a slight bow. "Thanks Kikyou."

Kikyou then looked back to Kagome. "I see you now have the entire jewel. What will you do with it now?"

"I'm not sure. I want it to disappear so it can't trouble anyone again, but I don't know how to do that." She pulled out the jewel and tapped it as she said this.

"A pure, heartfelt wish would be the best way to get rid of the jewel once and for all. But once that happens, you'll have a new problem." Kikyou told her.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"The jewel is what enables you to use the well to traverse the ages. Once it is gone, so too will the passage you use be gone." Kikyou explained.

"I will... be able to stay here, right? This place is my home now. I don't want to be forced to leave here when the jewel's gone." Kagome told her nervously.

"You should use that in the wish, but it will be hard to ask that without being selfish." Kikyou replied. "But I believe that once the well stops working, you'll be stuck in whatever time you were in once it closes. After all, once a door between rooms locks, a person is stuck in the room they were in at the time, not the room they were supposed to be in."

Kagome sighed in relief. "That's good. I pray you're right."

Kikyou then stood up. "I have said what I wanted to, and must go. I bless your eventual union, and hope both of you are happy in your lives. After everything you have been through, you deserve it. Sayonara for now." She started to walk out.

"Kikyou, just what do you plan on doing now?" Inuyasha wondered, curious to what she planned to do now that Naraku was gone.

Kikyou didn't look back. "I do not know. Most likely just wander the lands, searching for purpose until I am ready to pass on." She then walked out and had her shinidama-chuu carry her off towards the north, going nowhere in particular.

--

Shippou and Reiko were sitting outside of Kaede's hut watching the stars when they saw Kikyou leave alone. They took this to mean that she hadn't tried to take Inuyasha away, and since there was no yelling or crying Inuyasha and Kagome weren't fighting like they usually did when Kikyou was involved.

Shippou sighed. "Good. It looks like Otou-san isn't going to leave Okaa-san."

Reiko's ears perked. "That's the first time I've heard you call him that, Onii-sama."

"Well, I felt he didn't deserve it until I knew he wasn't going to abandon Okaa-san later on." Shippou told her. He had wanted to call Inuyasha his father for a while now, but felt conflicted about it. After all, the male inu-hanyou had hit the kitsune youkai enough times to give him callouses on his scalp. But he was protective and caring at times, even if crass in his approach, and Shippou knew he was the only father figure he'd ever have in his life from now on. So now with the Kikyou issue presumably resolved and Inuyasha hitting him significantly less, Shippou felt more comfortable calling the male inu-hanyou his parent.

"Well, at least you can call him that." Reiko said for no real reason. No real resentment was heard in her voice, but she was obviously jealous.

Shippou gave her a sideways glance. "If you ask tomorrow, I'm sure they'll take you in as their own."

Reiko tried to hide it, but her excitement at the prospect was clear. "You really think so?"

"Why wouldn't they? They already let you sleep in the house with your own room. And they provide food for you too and have kept you safe from trouble." Shippou told her. "You're already practically their daughter and my sister, so of course they'll take you in."

Reiko smiled and looked at her toes for no reason. "Thanks Onii-sama. I think I will ask them tomorrow."

Shippou yawned. "Let's go back and get some sleep... imouto-chan."

Reiko giggled, and followed her respective brother to their home.

--

Still too awake to sleep, Inuyasha and Kagome laid side-by-side on her futon, looking at each other. Kagome loved his amber eyes, and Inuyasha thought her new dark amber eyes were cute too. She leaned in a gave him a quick kiss on his lips. "Inuyasha, Thank you for helping me today. You don't know what it means to me."

"I think I do. No way would Naraku get away with trying to hurt you a second time, or even once." He said back.

Kagome smiled at him. If there was one thing about this situation she was grateful for more than anything, it was that Inuyasha had softened up quite a bit. She knew it was because he felt guilty for not being able to prevent her rape, and she kept reassuring her it wasn't his fault. Still, he didn't start fights anymore, he didn't demand they all go somewhere when and for his convenience, and he didn't act all 'high and mighty' like he was the only one who pulled his weight in the group. Instead he was much nicer, patient, and open to her now without being too much of those things, and her love for him had only grown since her rape. And now she wanted him to know that.

Kagome quickly kissed his cheek and started stroking the other one. "Inuyasha, you are... the man of my dreams. I know you probably worried that I would choose someone else, just like how I worried you would choose Kikyou. But, I want no one else but you, and I never have wanted anyone else."

Inuyasha started stroking her cheek in return. "Kagome, I feel the same way. I don't remember when or how I fell for you, but I did in a way that never could have happened with Kikyou. I probably had an infatuation for her at best, since she was the first person in years to act like it was okay for me to live. But... she still said I couldn't be a hanyou. That's part of why I love you Kagome. You've always accepted me as I am."

Kagome then gave Inuyasha a full-on passionate kiss, which was eagerly returned. "Inuyasha, I love you more than anything, and I want to show you that." With that, she untied her obi and started to part the top of her fire rat kimono in a seductive manner. "Inuyasha, please show me your love tonight, now that we're alone and Naraku is dead." Her bare shoulders were exposed now and Inuyasha could smell plenty of arousal on her. She stopped long enough to put her arms around his neck. "Take away my fear, Inuyasha. Make me feel loved and not afraid. Make me your mate tonight." She gave him another kiss, then grabbed his hand and placed it on the edge of her kimono, where he touched cloth and flesh. It was clear she wanted him to finish with removing her clothes.

Inuyasha hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure Kagome? I thought you wanted a human wedding ceremony first."

"That would be nice, but not necessary. Not everyone in my time waits for that anymore."

"And didn't your mother say she didn't want you to...?"

Kagome put a finger on his lips. "Mama's not here, is she? Besides, I'm a big girl and don't need her permission. Don't you want to be with me Inuyasha?"

"Yes, I do. But I also want to make sure you won't regret anything tomorrow or later."

Kagome rubbed his chin. "Don't worry. I won't. I want this, I want you. Please make me your mate tonight." Kagome then kissed him again, and felt his hand start to remove her kimono where she placed it. She then pulled her arm out of the sleeve and quickly did the same with her other arm. Now only her underkimono was covering her chest. She struggled to remove the lower part of her outfit without ending the kiss, but Inuyasha beat her to it by pulling the hem down. Surprised, Kagome lifted herself up long enough for him to get it all off her. She was glad he didn't seem so hesitant anymore.

Inuyasha started putting himself above her on the futon. Once he was in the proper position he began to remove his haori, slowly for her enjoyment. Laying on her back, Kagome blushed as he took off his hakama above her and had them both in there underkimonos. His resembled feudal era boxer shorts while hers looked like a loose, strapless on-piece bathing suit. Both breathed deeply, inhaling the other's scent of arousal, and refused to break eye contact with the other one.

'This is really it. We're really going to be mates now.' She smiled as she thought this. 'Mates now, husband and wife later. Soon.'

Inuyasha started nuzzling where her courtship mark was, soothing the area where he intended to place his mate mark. His hands started to undo the ties holding his lover's last bit of clothes together. Kagome in turn moved her hands down his muscular back and began to pull down his own undergarment. In less than two minutes, both were completely naked and admiring the beauty they saw in the other.

In Inuyasha's mind, calling Kagome 'beautiful' would be an understatement. He had managed to see her naked a few times, but none of them could compare to the image underneath him. He was entranced by the curves of her torso, the fullness of her breasts as he stroked them, and the scent of arousal that was becoming as intoxicating as her heat. Her dog ears made her look even cuter than she had as a human. Even the many battle scars she had acquired during their travels as a human only emphasized her beauty, adding a sense of perfection rather than flaw.

Kagome was staring up at the man she loved more than life, unable to stop herself. She didn't know if it was because he was a hanyou or because of all the exercise he got, but he was definitely in peak physical shape. He didn't look like a bodybuilder, but he was muscular and well-defined. She blushed a little when she kept staring at his rock hard upper body, then blushed much more when she started looking downwards. She actually licked her lips without realizing it.

Inuyasha sat up for a moment and started caressing Kagome's thighs. She shivered a little from the feeling, then shivered more when she felt where his other hand caressed.His index finger twirled her pubic hairs for a few moments then stroked her entrance up and down teasingly, careful not to scratch with his claws. After hearing a tiny moan of pleasure, he started to stroke the inside of her folds, causing her to gasp and moan more.

Inuyasha was very grateful for his youkai instincts, which were helping him in his foreplay. Maybe even a few human instincts were helping out too, he suspected. He felt that since his chosen one's first experience with sex had not been pleasant, but downright traumatizing, he had to ensure she loved this one. He was going to make sure she loved every second of it and would be completely satisfied. This time, and every time from now on, her pleasure would be his top concern, and he would never leave her wanting.

His finger went in and out of her opening in a steady pace, occasionally brushing against her clitoris and a certain area that practically made her jump. He could feel her insides getting soaking wet, and the scent of arousal was almost too overpowering now. Kagome's breathing became faster and shallower, and both could tell she was getting closer to climaxing. Smiling, Inuyasha sped up the pace and even added a second finger to the job. This sent Kagome over the edge. She screamed out her lover's name as her back arched, her insides tightened, juices came spilling out of her, and a shockwave of pure pleasure erupted in her abdomen like Mt. Fuji.

Inuyasha removed his fingers and licked off the secretions that covered them. They tasted weird, but pleasant on some levels, like a type of honey that only she could create. When he finished, he stroked her thighs again and her breasts while waiting for her to come off her high and be ready to continue. Eventually her breathing returned to a normal pace, and the only things she said were "Thank you" and "I love you" over and over again.

Inuyasha repositioned himself on top of Kagome, this time low enough that their chests were pressed into each other. He once again nuzzled the base of her neck while she wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him closer to her. His erect member brushed against the side of her entrance and his hands found their way to in between their bodies, cupping both of her breasts. He rose a little so he could fondle them with more ease. Her nipples were already hard from excitement, and he made sure to brush against them several times. Kagome's expression was one of pure ecstasy, and that made Inuyasha pleased, making him confident he was doing his job.

"Inuyasha... please... no more teasing." Kagome quietly pleaded. Her hands slowly moved to the small of his back. "I need you Inuyasha. Now. Please."

"It may hurt a little." He gently warned her.

"I know. It's okay."

Inuyasha removed his hands from her and placed them on the floor above her shoulders. He kissed her some more as he started pushing his member gently into her canal. It hurt only for a second, the pleasure and love she felt overpowered the pain almost immediately. Because of Kouga, Kagome's hymen had already been broke, so it didn't hurt as much as it would have before. Inuyasha went in and out in a manner similar to the one he had used with his fingers earlier. His thrusts kept having him hit different places inside her, making her have interesting reactions. Rubbing against that area that had made her jump earlier before seemed to please her the most, so he focused most of his attention on that particular spot.

After several minutes, Inuyasha chose to make his mark on Kagome. There was no way he would copy the wolf's mistake and wait until the end. He licked the spot with the courtship mark, then bit into the flesh around the scar. Kagome's eyes widened and tears started forming, but she bore the pain, knowing it had to be done. His teeth broke the skin and he began to suck up the blood from the wound. Then, all of a sudden, to help ease her pain, Kagome lunged forward and bit around his own courtship mark. Marking him as her mate like he was with her, she broke his skin and swallowed the excess blood too.

They both kept their teeth in each other, savoring the taste of their loved one. Inuyasha then picked up the pace with his thrusts and Kagome started moving her hips to match him. Even with their mouths full, he could hear her moaning with pleasure. Both felt like they were in heaven. Then Inuyasha felt himself getting ready to climax. He deepened his thrusts then soon came into her, practically howling her name as he did. Kagome felt his member throb and seed spill into her and reached her own orgasm, practically howling back at him.

Once the shock was over for both, Inuyasha and Kagome just stared at each other. Both were panting like dogs and drenched with sweat, their hair plastered to their skin in some places. Inuyasha let himself slowly fall onto Kagome and pull her onto her side with him, without ever withdrawing from her. Lying on their sides, Inuyasha reached for the blanket Kagome used and pulled it over them, more for cover than warmth. They kept staring at the other, both refusing to leave the other's touch, and Kagome leaned in to lick more of the blood from the bite she left.

"I love you Inuyasha." She said as she pulled her head back up. "Thank you so much for everything tonight... mate."

He kissed her. "I love you too, Kagome."

Not knowing what else to say, the two lovers just laid there, looking at each other lovingly and caressing each other, until they fell asleep in each other's arms. Unknown to them both, Shippou and Reiko had heard quite a bit since their foreplay, and were going to have several embarrassing questions for the adult hanyous in the morning.


	9. Accepted

Chapter 9:Accepted

The next morning Inuyasha went out to get some food for those he looked after. While they were waiting, Kagome took a bath since she felt pretty sweaty from the previous night's activities, and Shippou and Reiko stayed in the house playing a card game Kagome had taught them. When Kagome came back, still drying her hair, she felt relaxed as she saw the two children she watched over and considered her own. She recalled that last night, for the first time in a long time, she truly felt at home and had no nightmares that she remembered, and didn't want the feeling to go away.

Kagome dreaded the idea that once the jewel was gone, she would be forced to leave this place, the place she had grown to call her home. She wanted to believe that Kikyou was right, but couldn't get rid of the fear that she was wrong. If the well forced Kagome back into the modern era to stay, she'd never get over it, and knew Inuyasha wouldn't either. She doubted either one of them would have the strength to deal with that, especially after what they had shared last night. If the well had to close and trap her in one time, she knew she wanted it to be the feudal era. Sure, she'd miss her human family, but she'd get over it in time. Her hanyou and youkai family was closer to her now, and that was the one she wanted to stay with.

Kagome decided to get these depressing ideas out of her head and try to enjoy today as best she could. She'd talk with Miroku, Sango, and Kaede later about how best to treat the jewel, then go back to the modern era for one last time to say goodbye if the well worked as hoped. Normally she'd hope for the well to stay open, but that didn't seem likely.

She sat down by the hearth, ready to light it, and watched the two kids play their game. Reiko sniffed, stopped, and looked at Kagome, confused. "Umm... Kagome-sama, why do you smell like Inuyasha-sama too?" Shippou turned to look at her too, more curious than confused.

Kagome blushed furiously, not knowing how to answer the young girl. The mate mark would forever create Inuyasha's scent on her to tell others just who she was mated to, and his smelled just like her. Also, last night's fun left quite a bit of his personal aroma covering her body like her clothes before she bathed. "Well Reiko-chan, me and Inuyasha... are mates now, that's why." With their instincts they should at least have some understanding of the word despite their young age.

Shippou grinned. "Is that what you two were doing last night?" Kagome looked away, unable to make eye contact. "Well, I guess that means he's Otou-san officially now, huh?"

Kagome now could look at her adoptive son and nodded. "Yep. Now you both can call him that."

Reiko's ears perked. "I... I can too?"

Kagome nodded. "Sure Reiko-chan. You're like a daughter to us now, so if you want to call us your parents you can."

Shippou turned to the wolf hanyou. "Told you."

Reiko bowed her head. "Thank you so much Kago... I mean, Okaa-sama."

Shippou turned back to Kagome. "So, when are you two going to have a third kit?"

Kagome's blush deepened. "You've been around Miroku-sama too much, Shippou-chan." She then sighed. "Not for a while, but... sometime soon." She wouldn't be fertile again until sometime in the summer, and wondered if she'd be ready to be pregnant by then. Part of her wanted to, yet another part wanted to enjoy the twp pups she already had for now and wait for another one. Either way, she'd probably be pregnant by the end of the year because she did want to have Inuyasha's pup eventually. Normally she wouldn't want to be a teenage mother, but with two pups already under her care and a mate, and the standards of the feudal era, Kagome found the idea less disturbing as time went on.

Shippou and Reiko returned to their game, and Kagome went to where they kept their food, looking for something to go with whatever Inuyasha would bring for the main course. After breakfast, they would handle the jewel.

--

At about two hours before noon, everyone in Inuyasha's group was inside Kaede's hut along with the elderly miko, discussing the jewel. Shippou and Reiko were there simply because they had nowhere else to be. At the moment the jewel was in the center of the room, ensuring no one touched it and accidentally made a wish on it by mistake.

"We need to be rid of the Shikon no Tama so it doesn't attract more trouble. But how do we get rid of it once and for all and ensure that Kagome-sama doesn't get forced to stay on the other side of the well?" Miroku asked, starting things off and saying what everyone was thinking.

"Best I can think of is to wish for it to disappear and let Kagome stay here with us." Inuyasha thought out loud.

"Could that still be misused?" Sango asked.

"How can the jewel misuse that?" Inuyasha asked her.

"The Shikon no Tama always tries to find a way to manipulate the wish so it doesn't work as intended." Kaede said. "Even if we cannot see how it can do so, the youkai spirits in the jewel tend to find a way."

"What if we wished for Midoriko's soul in the jewel to win her battle with the youkai spirits so they can't corrupt the wish?" Kagome suggested.

"That sounds like it may work. Even so, the jewel must be purified greatly so evil intent cannot influence it." Kaede said before taking a sip of tea.

"Kagome-chan, are you sure that abandoning your time is wise?" Sango asked.

"I'm not abandoning it, Sango-chan." Kagome countered. "I'm just saying goodbye for a long time. If things go well, I can live long enough to see that place again as time goes on. Besides, this place feels more like home to me, and I'd be more upset to leave here than there." She then sighed. "But still, I'm going to go there today and say goodbye if that is the way things are to be."

"When you return we should begin purifying it as best we can so we can get rid of it." Miroku told them.

Kagome nodded. "Is there anything you'd all like me to bring back in case this is the last time I can do so?"

"Candy. Lots of candy." Shippou and Reiko practically shouted in unison.

"I would enjoy some of those 'potato chip' things." Miroku offered.

"I'm fine. Whatever you pick I'll enjoy." Sango stated.

Kagome nodded, then took Inuyasha's hand. "C'mon Inuyasha, let's go." With that, the two inu-hanyous grabbed the jewel, and went out and towards the well.

"We should go too, houshi-sama." Sango said to Miroku.

"Agreed." He said before they left too. They gathered up Kohaku's body and got on Kirara, flying off to the taijiya village to give Sango's little brother a proper burial in a proper place.

Shippou and Reiko stayed with Kaede to help out and kill time while they waited for their adoptive parents to return.

--

"Mama, I'm back." Kagome called as she opened the door to the house. At this time of day, only Mama and Jii-chan would be there.

Mama came down from upstairs to see her daughter and her mate. "Welcome back, Kagome and Inuyasha. What brings you here today?"

Kagome held up the complete Shikon no Tama. "Mama, yesterday we killed Naraku and completed the jewel. Our quest is finally done. Well, almost."

Mama gasped then smiled brightly. "Congratulations. I was wondering just how long it would take for you to get that done. It sure seems like forever, doesn't it." Kagome and Inuyasha nodded, finding it hard to believe it had only been a year. "What are you going to do now?"

Kagome cleared her throat. "We're going to try and destroy the jewel. But... once that happens..." She couldn't bring herself to finish.

Luckily she didn't have to. Mama simply stepped forward and patted her daughter on the head in between the ears. "I hope you'll be happy in the feudal era from now on, Kagome." She then looked at Inuyasha. "Please take good care of her." He nodded diligently, as if he didn't need to be told even once, which he didn't.

"So you're okay with this?" Kagome asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? I'm not Jii-chan." Mama replied. "I know you prefer it there, and if you have to stay somewhere, it would be there, like you said before. You're a big girl now and don't need me to support you anymore. You have this man here for that." She waved her hand towards Inuyasha with the last statement.

Kagome smiled and a small tear formed in her eye. "Thank you Mama. I swear that if the well closes I'll find some way to tell you. And I'll visit you when I'm 500 years older."

"Good. Then I'll have 500 years worth of dog-eared grandchildren to dote over." Mama cheerfully stated, imagining many small Inuyashas and Kagomes, all with dog ears and amber eyes.

Kagome blushed a little. "Just how many are you expecting?"

"At least four, since you said you're caring for two already." Mama answered, having already been told about Shippou and Reiko. "But maybe more. After all, 500 years is a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if you had a dozen kids of your own by then." Kagome had a hard time picturing that. Mama then sighed. "I just wish I would have been able to see your wedding. But... if this is the last time we'll see each other for so long, we should enjoy it." She tried to hide her sadness, but wasn't doing a good job. She couldn't ask them to delay in getting rid of the jewel because the longer it was around the more trouble it would cause. They needed to get rid of it as soon as possible.

"Did you have something in mind?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, since Souta's still in school now and Jii-chan's busy helping a friend, for now we can go get some supplies for the both of you. Then when they come back, we can have fun as a family for the night. Something special and memorable." Mama suggested.

"That sounds fun, Mama." Kagome said, upset that she was upsetting her mother. Sure, Mama was taking it well, but it was easy to see that the idea of her daughter leaving for good, or at least a long time, was a sad one to her. But Mama knew that this was for the best, especially considering the alternative.

"C'mon, let's go get whatever you may need back there." Mama said, grabbing her purse and ready to head outside.

--

Wearing the concealment rings that Ayumi had given them and some modern clothes, Kagome and Inuyasha went out into Tokyo with Mama. Inuyasha was convinced to leave Tetsusaiga behind, but he put up a hell of a fight about it. He gave in the second he saw Kagome start to cry, hating the fact that his weakness had been exploited. Without his sword by his side, Inuyasha was on constant alert for both his and Kagome's sakes.

The first place they went to was a grocery store, for both the Higurashi shrine and Inuyasha's and Kagome's house. They got ramen, potato chips, candy, bread, some fruits, vegetables and rice, eggs, sauces and seasonings, and other foods that wouldn't spoil too soon without a fridge. Luckily Kagome had already brought a cooler back to the feudal era for some food they had to store. When done they headed right back to the shrine to drop it all off before heading back out.

Mama took them to a department store next to get them other things she felt they needed. Things like more feudal era appropriate clothes, hygiene supplies, toys for their children, books, and furniture. Kagome wondered how her mother could afford this, and Mama said she was using the college fund she had saved up for her daughter over the years. Since Kagome was pretty much done with her schooling, Mama saw no better use for the money. And any that wasn't used would go to Souta or the shrine's expenses.

They stopped for a bit to get some lunch at a park, having most of the stuff delivered to the shrine. Kagome found this to be the best place in Tokyo so far because it was easier on her senses. She knew that the metropolitan city was loud and polluted, but never knew exactly how much until she became a hanyou. The air stunk and the streets were too noisy, as if she could hear everything. The park at least had more comforting floral scents and most sounds were blocked out by the trees like a sound barrier. She had a newfound respect for Inuyasha being able to take this in stride all this time.

The three of them sat at a bench eating their bentos. As they chewed Kagome could smell Ayumi coming up to them and turned to see her friend. "Ayumi-chan, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Teacher inservice. We got out early." Ayumi told her. She then looked to see if anyone could hear them speak. Satisfied that they had privacy, she continued. "What bring you to this time?"

Kagome put down her chopsticks. "Well, this may be the last time we can visit. so we're here to say goodbye in case."

Ayumi blinked, but her expression didn't change. "Really? Great. Just when we can finally open up to each other you'll have to leave. Well, if you live to bridge the five century gap, please look me up again."

"Sure I will." Kagome told the wavy-haired girl.

"By the way, Kagome-chan, did you do anything about your... attacker yet?" Ayumi asked, curious about Kouga. After hearing about Kagome's rape by the wolf youkai prince, she looked into the youkai history books because she was sure he was mentioned. He was. According to the book, Kouga was the last alpha of the eastern tribe and chased down Naraku, but never got the chance to because he was killed by one of his enemies. Ayumi wondered if that meant Kagome of Inuyasha, who both had reason to kill him.

Kagome looked down. "No, not yet. Maybe once I get my seal from Toutousai-ji-san, but definitely not before." She suddenly had very little appetite.

"We did already kill Naraku. You should have seen Kagome tear him apart with her claws." Inuyasha proudly added.

Mama and Ayumi gasped, Mama out of shock, and Ayumi out of awe. "You guys are the ones that killed that guy? Oh wow! You two are legends, like Nobunaga or Ieyasu! How'd you do it?" Mama was still trying to comprehend the idea that her daughter had helped kill someone. She did suspect it in the past, but to actually hear it was another thing.

"Well," Inuyasha started. "We ganged up on the bastard and tore at him with everything we had. He tried to hurt Kagome, but she tore him to shreds with her claws before he could. But he could put himself back together so it didn't kill him. What did kill him was one of our guys biting down on his heart, cutting it in half with their fangs. It was a tough fight, but I never doubted we'd survive."

Mama looked at them both in shock still. It was hard for her to picture any of that happening. "You didn't get hurt, did you Kagome?"

"Almost." She sheepishly answered. "He... uh... threatened me and it really scared me. I was afraid all night. He threatened to... well..." Once again, she couldn't bring herself to finish. And once again, she didn't have to.

"Kami-sama." Mama gasped, covering her mouth. At that moment Ayumi caught on and reacted the same way. "He didn't, did he?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, he didn't. But... hearing him imply that was horrible." She started quivering a little, and Inuyasha put his arm around her to calm her. No one was surprised to see it worked.

Ayumi smiled at the inu-hanyou couple. "You two are so good together. How could Yuka-chan and Eri-chan not see it? I look forward to the day I get to see a mate mark on your shoulder, Kagome-chan." As an Aider, Ayumi knew all about the mark. Kagome gave her a friendly look, and moved her shirt enough to where part of the mark on her left shoulder could be seen. Ayumi squealed with delight and congratulated them. Mama asked what was so special about that scar, then was told it meant Inuyasha and Kagome were mates now. She felt oddly pleased despite the fact that she wanted Kagome to wait for this, most likely because it made her daughter happy.

Ayumi stayed a little longer to talk to them both. Hopeless romantic that she is, she asked a lot about their relationship and what led up to them being mates. Kagome pointed out that she was almost as nosy as Yuka and Eri were, so the wavy-haired girl settled down. She was told most of what she wanted to know. Inuyasha and Kagome refused to describe the night they mated for obvious reasons. When satisfied, Ayumi left and wished them well when it came to the jewel. Mama then took them back to the shrine to await the deliverymen.

--

Miroku and Sango were heading back from Kohaku's little funeral. Sango was in tears the whole time and Miroku and Kirara were trying their best to comfort her. You could tell how upset she was by how when Miroku fondled her rear, she ignored it. Even Miroku was surprised by that. They buried the young boy next to all the other taijiya and covered his grave with flowers. Sango and Miroku both prayed that he could finally rest in peace, and left after a long hesitation. They probably wouldn't be able to reach Kaede's village until a little before sunset at earliest.

As they flew, Kirara suddenly stopped and snarled. The houshi and taijiya riding the nekomata got defensive and their weapons ready, not sure what threat to expect.

From behind a tree out came Ginta and a female wolf youkai. "Hey, it's you guys from Inuyasha-kun's pack. I've been looking for you."

Sango got even more defensive since this youkai was close to Kouga. "What do you want?"

"Is Kagome-nee-chan safe? I've been worried about her over the past month." Ginta asked.

"Why would you ask that?" Miroku asked back.

Ginta cleared his throat. "I saw what Kouga-kun did to her. In fact, I was the one who rescued her from him. He might believe he did no wrong, but I knew it was and had to help her." He then pointed at his eyepatch. "You can see just how angry he was about that."

Sango and Miroku dropped their guards. "You were the one who saved Kagome-chan?"

"Yes. Is she well?"

"She's better. Inuyasha has been helping her greatly." Miroku told the striped-haired wolf. He decided to keep all knowledge of them courting or mating secret.

"That's good." Ginta stated. The female wolf youkai nudged him with her elbow. "Oh yeah. My colleague Naoko-chan here wants to know if you've seen a young wolf hanyou girl anywhere. She's been instructed to bring her pack to the western tribe."

Without even looking at each other, both Miroku and Sango knew what to say. "Nope. Not at all."

Naoko sighed. "Well, I guess I just need to keep looking. Although I'm starting to doubt she's still alive by now."

"If you don't mind, I need to get to the north and tell my friend what has happened." Ginta told his companion. He wanted to make sure Hakkaku knew the truth before he tried to do anything foolish.

"Alright. You've helped me enough. And you can come by the western tribe if you want your eye healed." Naoko told him.

"Later. This is more important." Ginta told her.

"Well, We should be off." Sango told the wolf youkais. Without waiting for a reply, Kirara and her passengers took off. When they were out of sight, the two wolf youkai parted ways too, one going north and the other going west.

--

In the late afternoon both Jii-chan and Souta came home. They were saddened to hear that Kagome may be leaving them for good. Souta didn't like the idea, and Jii-chan knew better than to object to it or suggest an alternative. To lighten the mood, Mama suggested that they all go see a movie then get some dinner while out. If this was their last night together as a family, they shouldn't be moping about it all night.

They went to the movie theater where they told Inuyasha it was just like a big TV screen. They found an action-packed one that they felt would keep his attention. They worried that a bored Inuyasha would just cause trouble, which was usually the case. They watched it peacefully, with Inuyasha interested in much of it but occasionally asking for something to be described to him. Kagome wondered if this was what it would have been like to date him if she had the opportunity before.

After the movie they went to a small restaurant and ate inside. It was a good thing the place served ramen, or Inuyasha might have preferred to starve. Conversation was light, with it mostly being how Inuyasha and Kagome were going to handle being on their own from now on. Inuyasha had no problems with that, since he had been on his own for most of his life. Kagome said she'd be okay as long as she was with him, and neither would truly be on their own anymore from now on. Inuyasha didn't act like it, but he did like what she said.

When done, they all went back to the Higurashi shrine, it already being night with the stars coming out. They had already taken everything they needed back through the well, needing several trips to do so. Each of the human Higurashi's gave them both hugs, although Jii-chan simply gave Inuyasha a slight bow instead. Mama then handed them a few bentos for them and their friends either tonight or the next day. Kagome accepted them. With each moment it was getting harder for both sides to hide their tears.

Standing outside the well inside the well house, Kagome gave her mother one last hug. "Sayonara, Mama. I love you"

"Sayonara, Kagome. I love you too."

"I'll find a way to let you know what happened. I promise."

Mama finally let a single tear loose. "I know you will, dear. Be happy, you two."

Kagome took Inuyasha's hand into her own and they stepped over the rim of the well. With one last look and sniff of her human family, Kagome and her mate jumped down the well. As they passed the blue-white light, both felt deep in their hearts that this was the final time they would do so.

--

When Kagome and Inuyasha stepped into their house, Shippou immediately pounced onto Kagome. "It's a good thing you're here. Reiko-chan's really panicked now." He led them to his room, where they saw Reiko huddled against a wall. She looked human, with brown hair and brown eyes with human ears. She was shaking like a frightened puppy, and when she saw them, she seemed to relax.

"Good. You're here. I'm safe now." she quietly said to herself, yet they all heard her.

"Looks like it's her time of weakness." Inuyasha mused. He looked outside and saw a bright full moon. "Her night is the full moon night."

Kagome wasn't surprised. Wolves always were associated with the full moon. But something did confuse her. "Wait. If that's true, then why didn't she change on the last full moon?" She had now been with them for five weeks, so a full moon had already passed for them near the very beginning and she didn't change then.

"I change... every other full moon." Reiko told them.

"Well, you're safe here with us, Reiko-chan." Kagome said, taking a seat by the now-human wolf hanyou. Reiko hugged her for comfort, upset that she couldn't smell her adoptive mother.

Shippou heard a knock at the front door and went to see who it was. It turned out to be Miroku and Sango, and the kitsune let them enter. Soon Inuyasha, Kagome, and Reiko joined them in the main room. Reiko wasn't afraid of the houshi and taijiya anymore, but every instinct she had told her to be wary on these nights.

Miroku and Sango were told about Reiko's time of weakness, then Kagome was told about Ginta and what he was doing. Kagome was glad that the striped-haired wolf youkai was concerned for her and would have thanked him had she been able to. She hoped he would be able to tell the other wolf youkai about what Kouga did before they tried to release him. She doubted they could, but feared they were able. She realized that she would most likely be afraid of anything Kouga-related until he was dead.

Kagome then pulled out the Shikon no Tama. "It's time we got rid of this thing." She said with conviction.

"Any idea how?" Sango asked.

Kagome nodded. "I thought about it all day, and I think I know the best wish to make on it." Witn no objections, she then cupped her hands around it and held it close to her. "I wish for Midoriko to win her battle inside the jewel so her spirit can rest and for her to grant us what she feels we would most appreciate."

When Kagome finished, the jewel glowed bright hot pink then white. It was almost blinding and most would expect it to be searing hot. But Kagome felt nothing, as if the jewel was getting lighter. Then she opened her hands, and all that remained was a small pink light. The light then floated towards the center of the room and grew, taking on the appearance of a woman in ancient armor and still looking like a miko.

"Thank you all for helping my soul reach salvation." The miko spectre said to everyone in the room.

"Midoriko-sama?" Miroku asked.

The spirit nodded. "For as long as the jewel has existed, all who possessed it wanted it for their own benefit. None cared to use it for another. But now, with a heartfelt wish for another's well-being, even if it was my own, the Shikon no Tama has been purified from this world. At last my soul can rest."

"But wasn't the wish a little selfish?" Shippou asked. "Okaa-san said 'for you to grant us what you feel we would most appreciate.'"

"But all of you are content as you are. You do not need me to change anything. That is not selfish." Midoriko looked at Inuyasha. "You no longer desire to be a youkai, finally able to feel satisfied with being a hanyou thanks to your mate's love." Then the ghostly miko turned to Sango. "And you would rather your brother rest in peace than be forced to walk this earth after his time has passed. Ultimately, none of you need me to grant you anything."

Midoriko then looked at Kagome. "You, however, need a choice made. It's true that with the Shikon no Tama gone, you cannot travel through time anymore. If you want, I can give you one last trip through time."

"Just one?" Kagome asked. "Wouldn't I be trapped in that time then?"

"Most likely. If you go, I cannot guarantee you can ever return here." Midoriko answered.

"Then forget it. Just close the well. I don't want to leave my mate and pups." Kagome firmly stated.

"Very well." Midoriko then began to glow a faint blue-white for a moment. "The timeslip in the well is now closed. Now neither you or Inuyasha will be able to use it anymore. It can still eat bones like it's name implies, but no more trips through time will happen."

"Thank you, Midoriko-sama." Kagome said in relief.

Midoriko nodded. "The jewel is gone, the wish is granted, and I now shall go to my long delayed rest. Thank you all again." Midoriko then faded away like smoke at a dying campfire.

"So it's really over?" Shippou asked.

"Just the journey with the jewel." Inuyasha snorted confidently. "Now the rest of our lives can begin."

--

"We're here."

"Finally."

It was strangely silent that night in the forest as two figures reached their destination. They moved stealthily, like shadows, so if there was anyone there, they wouldn't have seen or heard them anyway. They stopped in front of a tree, which held what they were looking for: The prince of the eastern wolf youkai tribe.

"Who would do this to him?"

"Let's free him and find out."

One of them pulls out a fancy-looking dagger.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"If the elder is to be trusted, then it should."

With that, the one holding the knife swung it down on the arrow like they were chopping it. There was a crackle of spiritual energy as enchanted metal hit enchanted wood, then cut it in half. The arrow fell out and the body it had been pinning fell to the ground.

The prince of the eastern wolf youkai tribe made a few moans as he felt the life return to him. He weakly managed to open his eyes, and saw two people standing before him. Their scents told him they were wolf youkai like him. One wore brown fur armor with a mohawk. The other wore white fur armor and was a redheaded female. Even disorientated, he was able to recognize them before he passed out again from exhaustion.

"Welcome back, Kouga-kun."


	10. Alarmed

Chapter 10:Alarmed

It was now a month after Inuyasha's group had taken care of the jewel, and things were going smoothly for them all. Miroku and Sango got married once their house was completed, with Kaede being the one to officiate the ceremony. The only ones from outside their core group who attended were Mushin and Hachiemon. It was a beautiful ceremony that made Kagome want to cry out of joy, but no one else did. The next day, it was clearly obvious that Miroku enjoyed his wedding night. Sango just blushed at the looks she got from everyone, but later had a talk with Kagome about it all.

Kagome and Inuyasha later had their own ceremony, to make their union legal by human law as well as youkai custom. After all, they were human and youkai at the same time as Sango pointed out. Kagome knew her mother wanted her to wait on this, but since her mother was no longer a governing force in her life, she saw no real reason to delay the ceremony longer then necessary. Inuyasha thought it was pointless since he lived by youkai traditions more than human ones, but he agreed to it to make Kagome happy. The only ones outside their core group who were invited to attend were Masao, who came, and Sesshoumaru and his group, who refused, saying he wasn't interested. Rin however came since she had wanted to see this ever since she found out Inuyasha and Kagome were courting. Afterwards she had fun with Shippou and Reiko before returning home with Sesshoumaru.

Being Inuyasha's mate with two pups seemed to work wonders for Kagome's mood. Knowing that he wouldn't leave her for Kikyou and she would get to spend the rest of her life with him had lifted a great weight off her shoulders. Watching over Shippou and Reiko gave her something positive to think about and hope for, so she didn't have to dwell on her misfortune two months ago. With the Shikon no Tama gone, she felt her life could be a little less chaotic. About one week after they got rid of the magical gem, they tested Midoriko's claim and found out for sure that neither Kagome or Inuyasha could use the well anymore. Relieved that she wouldn't be forced to leave the land and time she loved, Kagome felt even more at peace. She did miss her human family, but if all went well she'd see them again, in 500 years.

About three days after handling the jewel, Toutousai showed up and gave Kagome her long overdue seal. It was a sword as expected that looked a lot like Tetsusaiga but was smaller. It even transformed like Tetsusaiga did. Toutousai called it Kenseiga, the Dog Spirit Fang, and said it was made from Inuyasha's fang and pieces of Tetsusaiga that were cut off. Inuyasha had willingly let his own sword be weakened so hers could be strengthened, and she felt so touched by it she kissed him senseless right then and there, not minding the looks she got from the others. This meant that Kenseiga had the same abilities that Tetsusaiga currently did, but they were weaker and would need time and experience to get better and stronger at. It also had an extra feature built into it called the Warning Pulse, where the sword would pulse like Tenseiga did whenever one of Kagome's children were in danger. Kagome thanked the old youkai sword smith and felt a great deal of calm when she felt the sword at her side, held in place by her obi.

Afterwards Kagome spent every day practicing with her new sword. She did with as much enthusiasm as she had her claws, since she didn't want Kenseiga to be for show. She had managed to get good with the Kaze no Kizu by now, but not as good with the Kongousouha or Bakuryuuha yet, mostly because she had yet to be in a serious fight yet. Inuyasha taught her as best he could, having been taught himself the art of kendo by his old caretaker Masao. Seeing her adoptive parents spar in open fields, Reiko soon expressed an interest in wanting to know how to fight. So Inuyasha carved her a bokken that she carried everywhere. Shippou took it up mostly to give her someone to train with, but found himself enjoying it soon too and got his own bokken. Kagome called him a terrific father as she saw them admire him and him be so helpful to them learning something.

While Inuyasha was out helping the village traders load one of their caravans and Shippou and Reiko were play-fighting by their house, Kagome was in the forest hunting for her family's food. She didn't mind; in fact she liked it and often tried to do it instead of Inuyasha. She liked jumping from tree to tree, sniffing out prey, and the thrill of the catch. It felt good to let loose the inner predator.

Up in a tree, she sniffed out a small deer and decided that was her prey. She perched like Inuyasha always does on a branch, kept her eyes focused on her prey, and got into position. she then pounced out of the tree's cover and startled the deer. It tried to run away, but it couldn't in time. Kagome shouted "Sankon Tessou" and severed the animal's head. She felt a little bad about killing the creature, but was consoled knowing her family would eat. This happened all the time when she hunted.

As she picked up the body, Kagome wondered how youkai in the modern era felt. What did it feel like not to be able to freely express one's instincts and have to act like another species all the time? It had to be irritating. Kagome couldn't imagine having to act like something she wasn't just to feel accepted. That was why she never really enforced what disease Jii-chan claimed she had.

Kagome was snapped out of her thoughts by the now approaching scent of dirt and clay. She turned to the right, still carrying a dead deer body on her shoulders, to see Kikyou approaching. "What brings you here?" She asked nonthreatening since Kikyou was no longer a threat.

"Kagome, have you released the wolf youkai recently?"

"No. Why?" Kagome wondered.

"This is bad." Kikyou replied, then explained the situation that began a month ago.

_Flashback_

Kikyou suddenly felt a strange feeling, almost ominous in nature, come from out of nowhere. It reminded her of the time Naraku faked his death and she somehow felt it, but didn't recognize it. This couldn't be Naraku-related since he was dead for real this time. Unsure what it was, she tried to ignore it, but it was harder than she thought.

About two weeks later, she went to a forest to eradicate a rampaging monkey youkai. She did it without trouble, then discovered she was in the forest that Kouga was bound in. Curiosity took the best of her, so she checked the tree she expected the wolf youkai to be pinned to.

She nearly lost her stoic calm when she saw he was gone.

For the next week Kikyou checked the area and everywhere nearby for any sign of the wolf youkai prince. When she saw none, she thought their were only two possible explanations: Either Kagome and Inuyasha had already gotten vengeance, or someone else had found a way to free him. Since the area around the tree showed no signs of a fight, the latter seemed more likely.

With that, Kikyou decide to warn Kagome of the impending threat.

_End Flashback_

After Kagome heard all this, she dropped the deer. "What?" More shock was noticed in her voice then fear.

"I was surprised too. I felt that with what you suffered, you deserved to know."

"H... how could he be released? I thought only you or I could do that." Kagome asked, fear more noticeable now.

"I am not sure. There are other possible ways, like an enchanted tool to sever the arrow, but few would have access to such a tool. Either way, if the wolf is alive again, then he's temporarily harmless." Kikyou answered.

"Harmless? That pervert could be loose, and he's harmless?" Kagome asked, fear very noticeable, almost dominating her voice.

"Calm down Kagome."

"CALM DOWN? The guy who raped me is walking around and surely trying to find me again to finish the job he claimed I wanted, and you want me to CALM DOWN?" Kagome hysterically shouted, scaring away some of the birds. When she finished, she was sweating a little and hyperventilating.

"He cannot be walking around just yet." Kikyou calmly stated, hoping she was right. When she felt she had Kagome's attention back, she continued. "If he has been released, then since it was not one of us, he cannot be active. The spell is designed so that only the caster or their reincarnation can completely remove it right away. That is why when Inuyasha was freed, it was like he had never been spelled. As for the wolf, even if he is awake, he will be incapable of most motion for some time."

Kagome started breathing normally. "H... how much time?"

"It depends on the youkai and their own will power, so I cannot say for sure. Plus, I assume that he has been freed for several weeks now. There is a chance that he has recovered by now, sadly."

"Th... thanks for letting me know. I will get ready for him now." Kagome said.

"You are welcome. I shall go try and go find out for sure what the status of the wolf is." Kikyou said before disappearing.

'_He_ may come back. This is _not _good.' Kagome thought before she picked up and dusted off the previously dropped meat. 'I just hope that I can face him when we meet again.' The predator in her riled up again. 'Because when we do, he's going to be incapable of hurting another girl again.' Whether or not this meant he would die, even she didn't know. Most likely it did, since she didn't expect Inuyasha to let him walk away alive. She then continued back to her house, trying to keep away bad thoughts.

--

Inuyasha had returned to his house eagerly after helping the traders. He had managed to get some leather as payment, and planned to use it to cover the handle of Shippou's and Reiko's bokkens so they'd have better grips on the wooden swords. He was surprised at how much he had gotten attached to the two of them and enjoyed being their father figure. He stopped hitting Shippou completely once the kitsune youkai referred to him habitually as 'Otou-san' and Reiko helped him stop thinking that all wolf youkai were dishonorable monsters. Now all he really wanted was a biological pup to raise too.

Inuyasha then saw Kagome return with something on her shoulder. "Hey Kagome. Welcome back. What'd you catch?" He said to his wife. He didn't expect her to just drop her catch and throw herself into his arms crying. She hadn't done this since the fight with Naraku, so he wondered what had happened now to upset her. He dropped the leather he was holding to wrap his arms around her. He could smell a great deal of dead animal and fear on her. "Did something happen out there in the forest?" Shippou and Reiko saw this and came closer, eager to hear more.

Kagome swallowed nothing. "Kikyou came and... said that... _he_ somehow got free weeks ago." She stopped to sniffle a few times. "He's going to try and find me. We both know it."

Inuyasha growled to himself while rubbing her back in a way he knew she liked. It worked, for the scent of fear faded and she relaxed in his arms.

"Is someone bad coming?" Reiko asked. Both her and Shippou were still uninformed on the whole Kouga fiasco.

"Yes. A man who hurt your mother is trying to find her and hurt her again." Inuyasha told the two kids.

"Just what did Kouga do to her?" Shippou asked. He had been told that Kouga hurt Kagome, but no one would tell him how and if the wolf youkai was coming back, he wanted to know.

"He... tried to force me to be his mate. I told him 'no', but he didn't care and tried it anyway." Kagome explained. Neither kid truly understood the implication, but could at least tell that such an event was painful for Kagome.

"All boy wolf youkai are like that. They don't care about a girl's feelings at all, just getting what they want. Girl wolves are okay, but boy ones are very bad." Inuyasha added gruffly. After he did he saw Reiko frown at the statement. He felt some paternal pride inside all of a sudden.

"C'mon, let's eat." Kagome told everyone. Inuyasha picked up the deer and everyone went inside. He started a fire in the hearth while Kagome skinned the meat with her claws and showed her kids how to do it. They tried to help but made a bloody mess more than anything. Kagome chuckled at seeing them try so hard, but still felt uneased.

--

Kouga was wandering south and was in a meadow at the moment. He had spent the past month at the northern tribe recuperating with the help of Hakkaku, Ayame, and the others. But the whole time he was thinking about how to get away and get to Kagome. The spell may have been broken, but for weeks afterwards he felt like he was still trapped and subdued. Eventually it wore off, and he was able to get back on his feet. He was greatly upset by the fact that his shikon shards were gone and asked for replacements, but none could be found.

Even so, he felt glad to be out of there. He wanted nothing more than to be able to find Kagome again and finish claiming her. He truly believed in his heart that she wanted it too and any protesting on her part must have been just from the pain of it being her first time. So now that shouldn't be a problem, he thought. He was in such a hurry that he left without Hakkaku. Ayame didn't try to stop him, not after what he last told her.

_Flashback_

"Hi Kouga-kun. How are you?" Ayame said as she brought food to her love interest.

"How does it look?" He irritably answered. At the time he could at least stand, but always felt he was being weighed down with invisible chains and weights whenever he moved. This tended to leave him in a bad mood.

Ayame understood why he was so grouchy. She would be too if she was in that situation. But the important thing was that she was here with him to help him get back his health. And maybe he'd grow closer to her in the meantime, she hoped. "Well, here's some meat to fill your stomach, and..." She then knelt down and batted her eyelashes at him in a cute manner. "Let me know if you have any other things you're hungry for."

Kouga could smell she was in heat, so it was obvious as to what she was implying. He sighed. "Ayame, I can't take you as a mate. I've already claimed another. And when I'm better, I'll go find her."

Ayame dropped her jaw and facefaulted. "That can't be true! You promised you'd be my mate when I was a whelp!"

"I did not! And if I did, it must have been momentary insanity! Why would I make such a promise!" Kouga countered.

Ayame glared. "Who's the other woman? That Kagome? You can't be with her since that inu-hanyou was obviously courting her!"

"He was not! She loved me but couldn't be with me since that would have placed her in danger. She's my mate!"

"Why would you want to mate a human? You'd have hanyou pups and you clearly don't like hanyous!"

Kouga scoffed. "I never said I was going to breed with her. My heirs can't be hanyous. If you want you can help me have a pure blood heir, but not be my mate."

Ayame glared like a creature right out of the lowest depths of hell. "WHAT? You expect me to just sit back and be a pup provider at best? That's not good enough for me! I wanted to be your mate, but if that's all I can be to you, then I don't even want you here you son of a bitch!" She then punched him square in the cheek, trembled with rage, and stormed out.

"She took that better than I thought she would." Kouga said to himself, lying on the cave floor as a bruise started to form.

_End Flashback_

After that, Kouga hadn't seen Ayame anymore. In fact, the only one that would speak to him was Hakkaku. The rest of the northern wolves felt appalled by what Kouga had told their princess. Unlike the rest of the wolf tribes in Japan, the northern tribe was progressing to where the idea of men having mates and concubines was now unfavored. So Ayame didn't want to share Kouga, and he felt there was nothing wrong with what he had proposed. As soon as he could move freely, he decided to simply get out of there like everyone wanted. Whether or not Hakkaku followed wasn't his concern at the moment. Only finding Kagome was.

Kouga caught a familiar scent upwind, and soon saw Ginta. Both frowned at the other. Ginta was about to ask how Kouga got free, but before he could, Kouga pounced. Without his shikon shards, Kouga didn't have as much of an advantage anymore. But he was alpha long before he got the shards and was one of the best fighters in his tribe. Basically, Ginta didn't stand a chance. Kouga cut him apart with his claws and thrust them into the striped-haired wolf's neck, ensuring he was dead. He was very ticked off at how one of his cohorts had interrupted his mating.

Satisfied that he got his revenge, Kouga continued south, trying to find Kagome's scent. Ginta's body was left to rot in the sun and be food to the crows.

_AN: Normally I'm in favor of the KougaxAyame pairing, but for this story I felt I needed it to not happen. On a side note, I feel that Ayame likes Kouga for all the wrong reasons. The fic The Demon She Loved by Bookworm810 best describes how I really feel about this pairing, despite the fact that I like them together._

--

A week later, Kagome woke up from another nightmare involving wolves, which was the first vivid one she had had in weeks. She hadn't been having them most night since she slept with Inuyasha every night and she felt so safe there. At the very least most of the time she couldn't remember them when she woke up. Inuyasha woke up when he felt her move and began to comfort her as best he could, which always worked for her.

Kagome was flattered by all the care and devotion her mate had been showering her with since they admitted their love. She knew part of it was because he wanted to make up for not being able to prevent her rape like he vowed he would when younger. But the main reason for it all was that he felt he was unworthy of her and wanted to prove everyone wrong, even himself.

In secret, Kagome thought _she _was the unworthy one in their relationship. The way she saw it, Inuyasha was the strongest warrior alive and she was just a ravaged tag-along from another place. No one else would agree, but she had been feeling this way for the better part of the past two months. she had been starting to think otherwise since they mated, but the feeling tended to linger at times, especially when she felt down.

But now, while Inuyasha had his arms wrapped around her protectively, trying to get her to go back to sleep, she didn't care about worth. Right now, it didn't matter who was the unworthy one as long as they were together. That was the only thing in the world that mattered to her at the moment.

--

During the night Kouga stopped to catch his breath, something he was unaccustomed to having to do. He never really realized just how helpful the shikon shards were to his stamina. He was pretty far from the northern territory and still had not gained a clue as to where to find Kagome. Hakkaku hadn't caught up yet, and Kouga briefly wondered if the mohawked wolf youkai was even trying to. He figured it didn't matter; he didn't need his cohort for the time.

When he caught his breath, Kouga once again started off in a random direction, sniffing out clues. Soon, he found one. It was the scent of dirt and clay, but it was moving. Curious, he approached, minding his speed to avoid getting tired again so soon. He managed to find a strange woman strolling out in the open valley at night, surrounded by three flying eel-like youkai. She smelled like dirt and clay instead of flesh. Even odder, she looked a lot like Kagome, but wore a traditional miko outfit, had a low ponytail, and looked rather stoic.

"Hello there, vile wolf youkai." The Kagome-look-alike said without directly facing Kouga, coming to a stop.

Kouga was rather offended. "How dare you call me 'vile'? You don't know me!"

"But I do." The miko said as she turned towards him. "You attacked my reincarnation."

"Reincarnation? How can you have a reincarnation if you're still alive?"

"I am not 'alive' in the sense you use the word." She answered.

'Well, that explains the odor.' Kouga quickly thought.

"And soon, wolf youkai, neither will you." The miko said, finishing off her previous statement while drawing a longbow. She fired an arrow, but Kouga somehow managed to dodge it this time. The three eel-like demons tried to entangle him, but he tore them apart effortlessly with his claws.

Kouga stared at her venomously. "YOU! I recognize you now! You're that damn miko who trapped me on that tree!"

"MY name is Kikyou, and I _will _put you back under that spell." The miko responded as tough as she could.

Kouga then pounced at the solemn woman and made contact with her leg. He didn't expect it to crumble like dirt, and the stump to look like a broken pillar. Kikyou didn't expect him to actually break it; she collapsed onto her side and used her arms to hold herself up. Two small glowing girls appeared out of nowhere in front of her, both wearing solemn expressions like Kikyou had been. They tried to subdue the wolf youkai but he swiftly struck them both, literally turning them into confetti.

Before Kikyou could position herself properly to fire another arrow, Kouga swung a leg and broke both of her arms in half. Her left arm was more damaged than her right. The wolf youkai then thrust his fist through her chest. In a few seconds, the crippled miko laid on her back looking at the stars. She felt no pain as parts of her body crumbled into dirt; it didn't even bleed. Several captive souls took the chance to escape her body, and she felt herself getting weaker.

'It's like I'm dying all over again.' Kikyou thought.

Kouga stood above her with clenched fists, amazed at her fake body and the fact that she was still breathing. He smirked. "Did you think that when you sealed me up I'd come back and kill you? Must not have."

"I regret not what I did, only that you escaped before you were supposed to." Kikyou told him, suddenly finding breathing difficult to do.

"And when was I _supposed _to be released?" Kouga asked sarcastically. He was in no hurry to finish her off. Why would her be? She was incapable of doing much harm in her weakened condition.

"When Kagome was ready to fight you back for what you did to her." Kikyou answered.

Kouga got madder. "And why would Kagome fight me? I'm her mate!" She was about to say something. "Forget it. I don't want to hear you lie about Kagome." Before anything else could be done, Kouga thrust a fist through her skull. Her head dissolved into sand, and the rest of her body disintegrated with it. All the remaining captive souls came out and flew to the sky. But one that looked different flew towards the horizon instead. Kouga smirked, knowing he had achieved one of his goals, and quickly headed off to accomplish the others.

--

Kagome woke up for a second time that night. But this time it was because a blueish light hit her. When it did, her body glowed for a bit and her eyes looked glazed over. Inuyasha saw this and tried to ask her what was happening, but she didn't answer.

"I am dead once more. Your soul is whole again." Kikyou's voice could be heard saying in Kagome's head. Then the glow stopped and Kagome looked normal again.

"Inuyasha. I think... Kikyou was killed, and her part of my soul returned to me." Kagome told her husband once she could.

"You sure?" He asked.

Kagome nodded. "I heard her voice say that."

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Well, I hope now she can rest in peace. And at least your soul is right where it belongs again."

Kagome smiled and gave him a light kiss. Then she fell back on her futon and went to sleep, Inuyasha joining her right away.


	11. Avenged lemon

Chapter 11:Avenged

_Warning: Another lemon in this chapter, more wild than the last one, and a little shorter too. _

A month had passed since Kikyou died at Kouga's hands, making it the beginning of summer. Things were going well for Inuyasha's group so far. The village they called home was as fine as always and didn't suffer as many attacks with so many diligent defenders. Inuyasha and his friends provided protection, meat, fur, and wood to the village whenever they needed it, and the villagers provided them with crops and any help they might need. They started falling into a routine as this became their basic lifestyle and the main way to get food since they had long ago exhausted the modern era food supply. It might have been a lot more uneventful than their previous lifestyle, but it was definitely one better suited for them all to raise families in.

Speaking of families, Sango found out she was pregnant two days previous, much to Miroku's delight. Sango asked him if he really wanted ten or twenty kids, not that she really felt her body would be able to handle that much. Miroku said that was just to see how serious she was in her decision to marry him, more enthusiastic curiosity than anything else. Also, that time when a yuki-onna tricked him into thinking he had dozens of children already made him think that smaller families were more preferable. So they ultimately decided on maybe three or four kids total. Some would learn to be taijiyas and some would be houshis or mikos depending on the gender and if they had spiritual power. Sango also requested that their first son be named Kohaku, and Miroku agreed completely.

Shippou and Reiko were getting along like most siblings did. They occasionally had a spat, but neither would actually strike the other, unless they were sparring with their bokkens. Reiko showed more enthusiasm for learning how to use a sword, probably because Shippou already had some other ways of attacking and Reiko didn't yet. Both were being taught by their parents how to use weapons, how to hunt and track, how to hide from enemies, and more survival skills, with Inuyasha doing the majority of the teaching. But there was only so much that inu-hanyous could teach a kitsune youkai and a wolf hanyou, due to biological differences.

Inuyasha and Kagome were very happy together. Whenever an argument began to rear it's ugly head, it died down quickly since now neither wanted to hurt the other for the sake of their own pride. Now that they were mates they seemed to understand one another better and it was easier to agree on things. Kagome still had bad dreams involving wolves, but before she woke up the dreams changed to pleasant images of her with Inuyasha. So now she didn't wake up almost every night, unless she wanted to do some late night mating.

Kagome missed her modern era family, but not so much that she pined to be with them. She knew they were alright in their own world and if all went well she'd see them again later on. Even if it was after an extremely long wait. She wondered what she and Inuyasha would be like in five centuries, and how many pups she'd have to show her mother. She knew Mama was eager to see some grandchildren, and Kagome laughed to herself at the thought that by the time 1998 came, she'd most likely be a grandmother herself. Surely by then Shippou or Reiko or any other pup yet to be born would have a mate and pups too. It was definitely going to be an interesting reunion in 500 years time.

--

Kouga had to stop and rest. He had been running around aimlessly looking for any clue to where Kagome was. As he rested, he got one. He heard some traders on their way back to their home village talking to each other. Normally Kouga wouldn't care, but when he heard Kagome's name mentioned, he listened. He figured that these men were going where Kagome usually stayed when not traveling herself, so he decided to follow them and make sure they didn't know it.

--

Inuyasha returned from patrolling what was called 'his' forest to see Kagome tidying up the inside of her house. She stopped sweeping the floor to wrap her arms around him. "Hello Inuyasha. Everything okay?"

"Yep. No threats anywhere. It looks like things are going to be dull for a while."

Kagome smiled coyly. "Well, if you're bored I know something that'll entertain you." She then kissed him and tugged him towards their room. "Shippou-chan and Reiko-chan are out with Kaede, so we have some time if you want."

This surprised Inuyasha. Except for the night they became mates, Kagome was never the one to initiate sex. She never refused his advances, but never did any herself. He sniffed her and discovered she was in heat, which explained her increased libido. "You sure Kagome? If we do this now, you might get pupped." He only thought it was fair to warn her in case she wasn't ready for that yet.

Kagome rubbed one of his ears. "I'm okay with that. If it happens, I'm ready to handle it. Besides, I'm sure we both can care for a third pup."

"In that case..." Inuyasha didn't finish. Instead he used both hands to rub her back. Kagome swooned. Feeling him caress her body was always a comfort and turn-on for her, especially when he rubbed more intimate parts of her anatomy. She pulled away long enough to go into their room, and he eagerly followed. Once inside, he closed the shoji as she untied her obi.

"We'll have to keep quiet in case the pups come by." Kagome warned him.

"They wouldn't hear anything they don't already hear at night." Inuyasha pointed out. Luckily for them Shippou had learned to ignore any sounds coming from their room at night and Reiko often slept like the dead.

"If they have any questions, _you're _the one answering them." Kagome said as she came in closer to pull off his haori. Like her mate, she was too aroused to stop even if they might get caught.

"Deal." Inuyasha said as he peeled off the top part of her kimono. He started nibbling on one of her ears as he massaged one of her breasts through her underkimono top, a combined gesture that always excited and pleased her. Kagome meanwhile used her claws to draw random patterns on Inuyasha's bare chest, making sure not to leave marks.

When Inuyasha had released Kagome's ear, she immediately went up for a passionate kiss then pulled him down onto his back. This surprised Inuyasha, since he wasn't expecting her to be this forceful. Not that he minded what she was doing. When on the floor, he reached up to her waist and pulled down her kimono's lower part, which she eagerly wriggled out of. Kagome started to remove his hakama and underkimono at the same time, and he began to do the same to her.

When both were naked, Inuyasha tried to take the dominant position, but Kagome kept him pinned below her. She coyly kissed him and reached down to his manhood to play with him. Intrigued and aroused, he chose to see what she had in mind this time. When his member had gotten stiff, she took her hand away and slowly lowered herself onto him, feeling him impale her and moaning his name as she felt it. When he was in her as much as he was able to be, Kagome started rocking her hips up and down, moaning with pleasure each time.

Inuyasha then raised both of his hands to fondle both of her breasts, which he discovered was much easier to do in this position. He thumbed her nipples, already hard from excitement, and rocked his hips as best he could to match Kagome's thrusts. They orgasmed in a few minutes and tried their best not to howl with pleasure, but couldn't contain some more moans.

Kagome collapsed on top of Inuyasha, her legs feeling like jelly and unable to hold her up any longer. Her head rested on his chest and she could hear and feel his accelerated heartbeat. His hands left her breasts and went around her back.

"Wow, Kagome." Inuyasha said when he stopped panting. "That was the first time _you_ were the more forceful one."

"Well, can't let you have all the fun all the time." She responded playfully.

"Don't you have fun when I'm on top?" He asked, worried that he wasn't satisfying her.

"Of course I do. I just thought that might be fun too." Kagome reassured him with a quick kiss. "And it was."

"You're telling me." Inuyasha said, using a phrase he had learned from the other side of the well. "So, you want to do that again?"

Kagome looked into his eyes, grinning. "Why don't we wait until I can walk again?"

"And when will that be?"

"Well, considering that I can't feel my legs or my loins, I'd say a week or two." They both knew she was exaggerating. She'd be walking and fit for more by the end of the day, but it did feel like it would take a week for the feeling to go away at the moment.

Inuyasha laughed. "Well, you did have fun." Kagome laughed too. "That just means I'm doing my job."

"I'm hungry. Being the dominant one sure builds up an appetite." Kagome said.

"Well, let's put on our clothes. I'll go hunt and you can get the rest done." Inuyasha told her.

"Why can't I hunt?" Kagome asked while reaching for her underkimono.

Inuyasha chuckled. "You can't walk, remember?" She chuckled too.

--

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Miroku called out, hoping to catch the hanyou's attention.

It worked. Inuyasha stopped getting ready to bound off into the forest and turned to face his houshi friend. "Yeah. What do you want?"

"If you're going out, can you get some of those red berries that Sango likes so much. She'd really like some." Miroku requested.

Inuyasha snorted. "Maybe. If I feel like it."

Miroku knew it was an act and Inuyasha would surely do it. He then decided to toy with his companion. "Say, since my wife is pregnant, shouldn't you be trying to get your own that way too?"

'We just might have a few minutes ago.' Inuyasha thought to himself. He knew if he said that out loud the houshi would surely jest about it. "Feh. That's none of your business, bouzu."

"Ah, but don't you want a pup of your very own running around?" Miroku egged him on teasingly. He wasn't doing it to be mean, more simply because it was just how he lightened the mood at times.

Inuyasha growled. "That won't happen until Kagome's ready for that. Unlike you, lech, I don't expect a woman to be a pup provider right away."

"I am not simply with Sango because she can give birth to my child and is willing." Miroku stated to defend his honor.

"So if one of those women you tried to court before had said 'yes', you would have refused for Sango's sake?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku didn't reply, most likely because he had no ready answer. "Do I really have to answer that?" He asked like the answer was obvious and unnecessary to say.

"You should, considering your own mate is right behind you now." Inuyasha told him with a sly grin.

Miroku stiffened and turned to see Sango standing in their doorway, holding a bowl filled with diced vegetables and obviously wanting Miroku to answer Inuyasha's question. "Of course I would have. I've cared for Sango for a long time and did not want to lose her affections, however she chose to display them. I'm bothered that you all have so little faith in me."

"Good answer, houshi-sama." Sango flatly told him then went back inside.

Inuyasha chuckled a little. "Looks like she's trying to become the alpha, bouzu."

"Sango has always had a mind of her own and I would never expect her to submit to me. Don't tell me you aren't the same with Kagome-sama." Miroku told the hanyou.

Inuyasha shook his head. 'I don't have to expect that. She practically does it on her own. It's strange to see a once strong woman act so meek and afraid. Maybe she'll be like this until Kouga's killed.'

"So, can I expect you to get the berries I requested?" Miroku repeated.

Inuyasha sighed. "Fine. You're lucky I'm in a good mood now bouzu."

"Hmm... I wonder why you're in a good mood." Miroku replied, with that look in his eyes that told he was thinking lecherously again.

"I'd hit you on the head for that, but I've got to go get some food instead." Inuyasha claimed, sounding a little irritated.

"My, you _are _in a good mood. It must have been quite an experience this time." This comment did earn Miroku a hit on the head. Inuyasha then jumped off into the forest. Once the pain faded, Miroku went into the village to see if he could be of any use.

--

Night came and the group decided to eat outside in between the houses. It reminded them of all the times they camped out in the past together on their search for shards and Naraku. They did this once in a while to keep their friendship strong, all members hating the idea of growing apart now that they no longer had to be around each other all the time. They had been through too much to risk separating through time and adjustment.

Kagome especially liked how it felt like a family barbeque, with everyone present as a part of her new family. Inuyasha was her husband and Shippou and Reiko were her kids. Miroku and Sango were the big brother and sister she never had, and Kirara was like the family pet. When Kaede joined in sometimes, she was like the grandmother Kagome couldn't remember ever having. The event was very soothing, and the only bad part was that she knew she would outlive every human she knew here in this era.

As they ate and chatted, Inuyasha suddenly stopped and growled ferally, grasping Tetsusaiga and facing northwest. Kirara did the same and turned into her saber-toothed form. Everyone looked to see what the threat was, and Kagome sniffed it out. She could tell a youkai of some kind was approaching, but couldn't identify it. For some reason it vaguely reminded her of Reiko.

Reiko sniifed it out too, along with Shippou. "A wolf youkai's coming?"

"Yeah, the worst one there is."Inuyasha replied.

Kagome snapped her chopsticks as she realized what he meant. She hoped with all her heart that he was wrong, but knew there was no possible way Inuyasha would be mistaken on this. She panicked and immediately clutched to Inuyasha's leg like her life depended on it. Sensing her fear, Shippou and Reiko seeked cover behind both of their parents.

In no time at all, all too soon for anyone's liking, Kouga appeared before the whole group. He hadn't recognized Kagome's scent, since it had changed about four months ago, but he had recognized Inuyasha's. He noticed it as soon as the traders led him here, and he figured if anyone could get him close to Kagome, Inuyasha could because she was always with him and his friends.

"Listen up dog-breath! Where's my woman?" Kouga shouted, ignoring the female inu-hanyou quivering next to Inuyasha. As far as he was concerned, Inuyasha being with another female was simply in favor of his own plans. He also ignored Sango and Miroku glaring at him like they were out for his blood and getting their weapons ready to fight.

"Kagome is not _yours_ wolf, and you _will _die for what you did to her!" Inuyasha shouted back. Kagome began to look less afraid.

Kouga smirked. "Wrong mutt. Kagome already chose to be with me and even presented herself to me."

"I DID NOT! YOU FORCED YOURSELF ONTO ME!" Kagome screamed, baring her claws at her side while keeping her hand close to Kenseiga.

Kouga, confused, turned his eyes to her and gave her an irked look. It disgusted her. "I don't even _know_ you wench, so don't you dare talk about me like that."

Inuyasha smirked. "See Kagome, I told you he was an idiot." She nodded as a reply.

Kouga's eyes widened and his fists unclenched. "Ka... Kagome?"

Kagome then gave the wolf youkai a glare so cold that it would make a yuki-onna shiver. "Yes, you mangy, flea-bitten, chauvinistic, hentai wolf. _I _am Kagome, the woman you forced yourself onto." She then pulled aside her kimono collar to reveal her mate mark. "I am _Inuyasha's _mate and an inu-hanyou now. I have been the first for two months and the second for four. Still want me? Not that you could have me if you did." She growled venomously.

"You can't be Kagome! You don't smell anything like her!" Kouga contradicted with a few sniffs. He noticed that Inuyasha's scent was coming off her, proving the mate mark was really his.

"I'm a dog you bakayarou! Do you honestly expect me to still smell like a human?" Kagome shouted, putting her hand on Kenseiga's handle and standing up. "Even if you won't believe what I say, use your eyes. Can you honestly say I don't look just like the Kagome you knew?"

Inuyasha was getting impatient. He really wanted to slice up the wolf youkai and dump his remains somewhere that only crows went to. But he had promised Kagome that he wouldn't do anything until she got the chance to get vengeance for herself first. And judging from her growls, a battle wasn't far off from now. Sango looked equally impatient for identical reasons.

"How can you be with that filthy hanyou when you already chose me, a real youkai?" Kouga asked, showing his fangs subconsciously just like Kagome had been doing.

"I NEVER CHOSE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Kagome screamed. If it weren't for Kenseiga at her side, she would already have turned into a youkai. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I WANT YOU DEAD!" She wondered if she was just saying this in anger, but right then and there it felt right to say regardless.

Kouga didn't respond; instead he just growled and flexed his claws. He then lunged at the inu-hanyou couple, and it was unclear as to which one of them he was aiming for. He never got the chance to hit either, because Kagome swung her arm and put several deep gashes on his own. He backflipped away and everyone except the kids raced forward to slaughter him. Before they could hit him, Kouga jumped over them and rushed to Shippou and Reiko. The two kids tried to run off, but Kouga punched them both, knocking them unconscious.

"YOU BASTARD!" Kagome shouted as he picked them both up carelessly. She pounced, but he ran off before she could reach him. He might not have shikon shards in his calves anymore, but he was faster than all of them still.

Kagome, having never felt so pissed off in her life, put her hand on Kenseiga. The Warning Pulse feature was working, telling her her pups were in trouble and where to find them so she could help them. The man who had hurt her greatly months ago had come back and stolen her children. _No one_did that and got away with it, Kagome told herself.

Kagome immediately dashed off after Kouga, not bothering to say a word to any of the people around her. Inuyasha soon followed her and quickly caught up. Sango and Miroku got on Kirara who followed them too. It would take awhile to catch up to the wolf youkai prince, but no one had any intention of slowing down for a long time.

'Damn that bastard.' Kagome thought, furious beyond rational thought. She didn't curse like most people, but she let herself in her mind now. Like anyone could fault her for it. 'He _will _die. He's deader than Naraku, even if I have to do it myself.' She then 'fehhed' much like Inuyasha. '_Especially_ if I have to do it myself.'

Kagome had always hated fighting and killing. For over the past year only two things made her get involved in battle. For one, she needed to be a part of it to help those victimized by Naraku or others, sometimes by facing the villains directly. The other reason was much simpler and personal: She wanted to be near Inuyasha's side all the time.

Kagome was amazed by how bloodthirsty she felt at the time. Even so, she wasn't truly looking forward to killing Kouga. Over the months she resigned herself to the fact that once they encountered him someone would kill him. But now she was surprised to see that it wasn't just accepting fate; part of her actually wanted to see this guy die. While she wasn't entirely sure just who would do that task, all she cared about was getting her pups back and ensuring he was out of her life for good.

She saw Kouga dash into a forest far from the village, and in a few minutes reached it too. She and Inuyasha tried tracking his scent, but it kept bouncing all over the place. By the time Miroku and Sango entered the forest too, Inuyasha and Kagome had passed the same tree twice.

"Damn. That mangy wolf quickly went around in circles here. It's impossible to track him by scent alone now." Inuyasha growled. He then took his frustration out on a tree, which toppled over effortlessly.

"And now he could have gotten too far for us to catch him soon." Kagome bitterly added. She then hugged her mate, looking for comfort and offering some as well. "How do we find him? How do we get our pups back?" She asked with a single tear forming in each eye.

"We just keep hunting, or looking for clues." Inuyasha reassured her as best he could.

As if on cue, a red mushroom with white spots and eyes popped out of the ground and made a quick cry similar to Shippou's own. Another appeared, and then another and another, each forming a twisted line that went northeast.

Inuyasha smirked. "Good work, Shippou."

Kagome grinned too. "That's my boy."

Both hanyous then followed the trail of weeping mushrooms, which would lead them to Shippou and ultimately Kouga.

--

Kouga had reached a cave he found by chance and dumped Shippou and Reiko into it unceremoniously while he stood at the entrance. Now both awake, the two kids faced him, on guard and alert but still afraid. "What do you want with us?" Shippou asked as bravely as he could while he pocketed his magic mushroom, which he used to create the weeping mushroom trail.

Reiko stood next to Shippou for safety and support. He tried his best to shield her from any possible harm. He was after all the older of the two, and it was his duty to protect her, like a good big brother would. Neither had any illusions that Kouga would go easy on her since she was part wolf youkai or a girl. Other wolf youkai weren't kind to her in the past and it was unlikely he would be the first.

Kouga crossed his arms and faced the two. "You two whelps seem very important to Kagome. I could tell, she was trying to protect you from me. What I don't understand is why she was against me. With you here she'll have to hear me out long enough to calm down from her bad mood."

Shippou glared. "Bad mood? You really think Okaa-san's just in a bad mood? You _are _a baka." Kouga raised an eyebrow at the familial term. "She hates you because you tried to force her to be her mate when she didn't want to be."

Kouga slapped Shippou, much harder than Inuyasha had ever hit him before. "You don't know what you're saying! Kagome presented herself to me. She was lying on the forest floor with her legs spread, inviting me to mate with her."

"Baka. Naraku beat and drugged her with cursed powder before you saw her. She wasn't inviting you. She doesn't love you; she never did." Shippou contradicted his claim.

Kouga slapped him again, this time cutting his cheek. "YOU LIE!" He shouted simply because he didn't believe the kitsune.

"Think about it you moron!" Shippou cried, ignoring his bleeding injury. "If Okaa-san loved you like you assume she does, then why did she run away after you were forced off her? Why didn't she try to free you from that tree? Why is she an inu-hanyou and mated to one? She's even marked by him, and from what I've heard, the mark only stays if she wants it to."

Kouga kicked Shippou, sending him flying to the back of the cave. "SHUT UP!"

"Onii-sama!" Reiko cried as she rushed to him. He was very hurt. Reiko glared and growled at Kouga. "You are in _big _trouble when Otou-sama and Okaa-sama get here!" Right now, more than ever, she wished she had more than just a bokken to defend herself with. Lucky for her, he didn't attack them any further.

Just then, Inuyasha and Kagome found the cave they were at, and charged in brandishing their swords. They didn't use the Kaze no Kizu, predicting that Kouga was using the two kids as shields against such an attack. He tried to say something to them, but they were in no mood to hear anything he had to say. Using their large youkai blades, Inuyasha and Kagome quickly managed to trap him against the wall of the cave. One wrong move would result in a deep cut in places that were dangerous to bleed from. Miroku, Sango, and Kirara then showed up.

Kouga felt a great amount of fear, while Kagome felt a fury like never before. None of the times in the past when she was in a bad mood could compare to the sheer hatred she felt for the wolf in front of her. He had started off as a helpful friend and had become a horrible fiend, betraying her trust and violating her body. And then he kidnapped her pups. For all this, he had to suffer at her claws and fang.

"Kagome... why? Don't you love me?" Kouga fearfully asked.

"Me love you?" Kagome asked as if it were the most ludicrous thing in the world. "I hate you. You hurt me and acted like it was your kami-given right to. You didn't care how I felt, only what you wanted and what you assumed I did too. And now you've kidnapped my pups for whatever asinine reason you had. I hate you."

Kouga saw in her eyes that she was dead serious in every word she said, then looked at Inuyasha. "Just what did you do to her?"

Kagome then punched him square in the jaw, nearly breaking it. "He didn't do anything to me. You did." She then pulled away her sword. "Inuyasha, I know you've always wanted to beat him. So now you can. Go nuts if you want."

Smiling, Inuyasha pulled away Tetsusaiga and pummeled Kouga like he was a punching bag. Kouga tried to fight back but was too injured to do so. When Inuyasha stopped, Kouga had bruises everywhere and surely a limb or two was broken. He looked like breathing itself was painful.

Kagome went over to Shippou and Reiko and hugged them both maternally to calm them down. "Okaa-sama, are you going to kill that man?" Reiko asked.

"Well..." Kagome struggled to answer. "I want to make sure he's out of our lives for good. I hate to say it, but maybe killing him is the best way for that."

"Well then, the rights to that fall onto you Kagome-sama." Miroku said as they entered the cave and Sango kicked Kouga hard. Ever since the 'incident' everyone had been telling Kagome that the right to kill Kouga, should that be his punishment, was hers to have and execute, no pun intended.

Part of Kagome felt that killing Kouga herself would make her feel good in a vengeful sort of way. But another part of her felt more unsettled at the idea of her actually killing someone. Not that she hadn't before. Kagome herself had killed a crow youkai, Yura of the Hair, almost Naraku, and several minor swarming youkai before. She also played a major part in the deaths of Menomaru, Kaguya-hime, and the Four War Gods. But this time was different to her; it was about right and wrong, not survival. And she didn't know if she had it in her to do what she saw as murder, even if all present claimed it was justified.

"Inuyasha, I think I'd prefer it if you did it instead. I don't know how comfortable I'd be later on if I did it myself." Kagome told her husband.

Rather than ask if she was sure, Inuyasha proceeded without a word. He stood over Kouga and raised his blade over his head. Kagome turned away and covered Shippou's and Reiko's eyes, not wanting them or herself to actually see this. Inuyasha brought the blade down before the wolf youkai could say or do anything, and the sound of metal slicing flesh echoed in the cave. Kouga stayed alive for half a minute before everything went cold and black for him.

When it was done, Kagome turned to see the corpse, and felt a strange mixture of relief and unease. Relief that now her greatest personal enemy was defeated, and unease that he had become an enemy in the first place. Inuyasha could sense her discomfort, and held her close to him. Wasting no time, everyone chose to leave the cave and head home, leaving Kouga's body to rot without a burial.

--

It was late at night, almost morning, and Kagome awoke from another nightmare. In this one she saw herself become a rampaging killing beast, like when Inuyasha attacked some bandits as a youkai. She didn't scream or jolt upright; she just opened her eyes and panted a little. When she stopped, she looked around her room. Inuyasha was right next to her in the futon, still contently asleep, and Shippou and Reiko slept similarly on each side of them. After the events earlier that night they felt better and safer sleeping in their parents room for now.

Kagome smiled at the scene she saw and nuzzled in closer to Inuyasha. She rubbed one of his ears, much like she did when she first saw him pinned to the Goshinboku. He slept right through it, but he hummed a little. When she finished, she rested her head against his chest to hear the lullaby that was his heartbeat. 'I'm in heaven. I went through hell to get here, but it was worth it.' With that, she wrapped both her arms around her mate, and had pleasant dreams for the rest of the night.


	12. Epilogue: Appeased

Epilogue:Appeased

The sun was setting on an early spring day in the year 1499. For one village all signs of winter were gone and the farming season was starting off without any problems thanks to the village protectors. Everyone who resided there was doing well and was healthy, but the village doctor was currently needed at one of the houses belonging to one of the village protectors.

Outside the house were Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippou, and Reiko while Kaede, Sango, and Kirara were inside with Kagome. About two weeks after they killed Kouga, Kagome found out she was pregnant, and earlier today she had gone into labor. So now everyone sat outside waiting to see the neweborn pup when it was born. Reiko could have remained inside to help since she was a girl, but the sounds and scents of the birth both hurt and disgusted her.

A scream was heard from inside the house, and Reiko covered up her ears and crouched down. "Why does she have to howl like that? Does it really hurt that much?"

"Yes, it does." Inuyasha told her. He was actually just as annoyed by the sounds as his adoptive daughter was, but he refused to cover up his ears. He wanted to make sure that if someone called for him, like his mate or newborn, he would be able to hear it. He did however flatten his ears when things got too loud for him occasionally.

Normally Inuyasha would be inside the hut right next to Kagome to hold her hand and comfort her. But he felt he was needed outside to keep watch for any impending threat. After all, Shippou and Reiko could barely fight and Miroku wouldn't be able to do the job well since he was currently holding his one month old daughter that Sango named Miyabi. As unlikely an attack seemed, Inuyasha, on guard as usual, wasn't convinced it was safe enough to allow him to be elsewhere and kept watch.

Inuyasha sat like a guard dog with his eyes darting back and forth occasionally, his nose and ears on the alert for anything suspicious. Miroku was tending to his daughter who happened to start falling asleep. Shippou and Reiko sat by Inuyasha, looking almost bored. Shippou was playing with his top just for something to do and Reiko twirled her bokken around in her hands. Inuyasha noticed how bored they looked just sitting there. "Your mother's going to be fine. If this is bothering you two, you don't have to be here."

"No way. I'm staying to see my little brother or sister." Shippou countered, crossing his arms to show his decision was final. Reiko said and did pretty much the same thing, like she was trying to mimic the kitsune youkai.

"Feh. Fine." Inuyasha replied. Another scream and some panting were heard from inside the hut.

"If it hurts this much I'm never having pups." Reiko claimed when things got quieter.

Inuyasha smirked. "Sure, you say that now Reiko, but about a century from now I guarantee you'll already be looking for a mate and might even end up with a pup or two yourself." Reiko growled at him.

Some more panting and coaching could be heard, proving it wasn't over just yet. This concerned everyone outside since they weren't sure just how long it was supposed to last. Sango's delivery had taken a little under sixteen hours, and Kagome had been in labor for ten. But nobody outside could do anything about it, so they simply continued to wait.

About an hour and a half later, when the sun was completely down and the stars were starting to come out, everyone was allowed back into the hut. Kagome was lying on the floor propped up by a few cushions, quite exhausted from the effort, yet she was smiling. She reeked of sweat and blood, and other things Inuyasha assumed were birth fluids, but no one with a sharp nose complained, not even Reiko. She did cover her nose with her sleeve for a bit however.

Inuyasha and his two kids took a seat by Kagome. Inuyasha sat on her left to support her when she tried to lean up while Shippou and Reiko took the right side. Everyone else in the house stayed close to her feet to see what everyone was looking at.

Kagome was holding a baby boy, with white hair and ears. He looked a lot like Inuyasha but had Kagome's nose. He hadn't opened his eyes yet so they couldn't tell what color they were, but it could safely be assumed a shade of amber. They noticed a few black hairs scattered among the most white hair. He cried and tried to cling to Kagome despite the fact he was wrapped up in a towel at the moment.

Kagome shed a tear as she looked at her newborn son, while Inuyasha simply smiled and brushed some hair out of the pup's face. Shippou and Reiko just stared in awe at him, unsure of what to say. Miroku handed Miyabi over to Sango, both remembering how not so long ago they were the proud new parents in this scene.

Everyone said some congratulations to the hanyou couple and left to their own houses after a few name suggestions. Inuyasha picked up Kagome along with the newborn and took them to their room. The pup would have to sleep with them for a while to imprint on their scents. Shippou and Reiko slept in their own rooms and everyone slept peacefully that night.

The next day, after a good long rest, Kagome was able to walk around again. Being a hanyou meant her recovery was much quicker than a normal humans would have been. After she fed her son, the rest of the family offered up some more name suggestions. It took a while but Inuyasha and Kagome decided on Hiroshi, and Miroku was later able to perform a blessing for the young child. Shippou and Reiko were given a turn to hold Hiroshi, so the pup would get familiar with their scents too. They were both nervous, but they seemed to enjoy it and were very careful.

--

Inuyasha woke up one night two weeks later because he saw that Kagome wasn't in their futon anymore. He went to the new room he had added onto the house and found her leaning against the wall nursing Hiroshi. The moonlight from the window poured over her body, making her look like something right out of heaven. She was so focused on Hiroshi that she failed to hear or smell Inuyasha arrive at the doorway.

Inuyasha noticed how serene Kagome looked, and jumped for joy inside. A year ago, Kagome was the opposite of serene, but now she had recovered from her ordeal. She still didn't like wolves outside of Reiko, disliking them to a degree that was almost what Inuyasha felt. Most likely that was one trait she would never lose.

Ever since Kouga died, they had two more encounters with wolf youkai. The first was with a female youkai who called herself Naoko and was trying to kill Reiko. She only survived because she ran off frightened after nearly getting sliced in half. They hadn't seen her again, and hoped she would drop the subject. The second was with Hakkaku, who had been looking for Kouga but found them instead. They told him the whole story, leaving nothing out. Shocked, Hakkaku felt there was no point in trying to avenge his old alpha since it would just kill him too, and returned to the northern tribe where he had already gained membership.

Now, Kagome barely dwelled on her misfortune. She no longer felt weak and pitiful; thanks to her new family she felt loved and admired. She still couldn't bring herself to say Kouga's name, but didn't panic or withdraw anymore if someone else did. And because she was more confident in her own strength now, she didn't worry that someone else would try to abuse her again. It was like the light and fire in her that Kouga had nearly extinguished had finally come back to her, and Inuyasha was thrilled.

Kagome then noticed his very familiar and comforting scent, smiled, and turned to see her husband. He approached and put an arm around her shoulders as he sat down beside her. she wasn't covered up as she nursed her son, but she had no reason to be modest around her mate.

"Hungry again, huh? Isn't this pup ever satisfied?" Inuyasha asked. Hiroshi seemed to get hungry all the time.

"It doesn't look like it, does it? He's got the same appetite for milk you had for ramen." Kagome told him.

"It's a shame I'll have to wait several centuries to have another bowl." He commented.

"I dread how this one's going to act when I have to wean him." Kagome thought out loud as she looked at her son. "If he's anything like you, he won't give it up without a fight."

"What's that supposed to mean? You're stubborn too." Inuyasha replied, making sure she knew he wasn't really trying to start a fight. Once in a while they did have an argument or two, although never to the degree they used to have. Both cared about the other too much to do that anymore.

"I know." Kagome said. She then burped Hiroshi when he finished his late-night meal and placed him back in his bassinet. It was lined several pieces of cloth that had Kagome's and Inuyasha's scents on them so he would always smell them when alone. "Now, stay asleep this time Hiroshi. Okaa-san and Otou-san can't keep getting up like this every night."

"Actually, we can." Inuyasha told her. For adult youkai and hanyou, who didn't need to sleep each night unlike kids, this was more of an inconvenience than anything else. Physically they both could handle being awakened each night. Usually the only reason they slept each night was because they had nothing better to do.

"I know, but I really enjoy being in your arms all night, especially when we have fun."

"Speaking of which, would you like some?" Inuyasha sensually asked her quietly and directly into her ear.

"You have to ask?" She asked back. Usually, Kagome never refused Inuyasha's advances, except during the latter months of her pregnancy. They basically hadn't been able to do anything erotic for months, and Inuyasha had been patiently waiting for her to say when she was up to it. And apparently she was.

They went back to their room and please each other for the first time in what felt like a long time. They did make a lot of noise but no one paid them mind; Shippou ignored everything they did at night and Reiko still slept like the dead. When they finished, Kagome laid on top of Inuyasha like he was a mattress while both caught their breath. Neither would call themselves perverts, they did love what they do together and often looked forward to their next tryst. They decided to be careful around Kagome's heat time, since they didn't want a fourth pup for a few years, maybe decades.

As her eyelids got heavy, Kagome reflected on how her life had turned out. She never would have expected this to be her life when she began her journey through feudal era Japan, but was glad she ended up here. She was married to the man of her dreams with a family of her own. She was also well respected in the village as one of it's protectors and one of it's healers. It was definitely the perfect life for her. And it all happened despite one moment of sheer hell.

THE END

_Finally it's done. This was hard to write since the disk with my final draft crapped out on me and I had to do almost all of this from memory. But now I've finished it, the fic I consider to be the best I've written so far. It took me over a year to get to this draft._

_I'd like to thank the few people who bothered to review me and the several who have listed this story as one of their favorites. I take great pride in this story and it's nice to see it being enjoyed. I only wish that out of over 1,100 hits, I had gotten more than four people to actually review this fic by now. Hopefully it will get more later on._

_To those that liked this, I'll say I have two sequels in mind. I'm not done making them yet so you may have to wait awhile for them. The first is a Rin-based story that deals with her maturing into an adult taiyoukai and having to deal with people trying to complicate her life. I do not know if this will be a SessRin fic yet, but it is a possibility. The second is where Kagome reunites with everyone she left in the modern era. A shorter and less eventful sequel, but one that wraps everything up. That part doesn't fit in here because this story is about Kagome's rape and recovery and I feel satisfied with what the story says so far. I am up for any suggestions on these two stories should you have any to offer._

_Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it, and try to catch the sequels if you did._

_Brown Phantom_


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